Scars
by Just Another Angry Feminist
Summary: Lydia Duke knows all about being damaged, but when she meets George things start to change for her. The two of them bond over their scars and learn they aren't defined by the horrible things that have happened to them. They get to choose what defines them and make the decision together.
1. Chapter 1

**I started writing this story forever ago, but never posted it anywhere. I also have a bunch of chapters already written if this one's a hit with you all.**

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Growing up with four brothers was an adventure, but I wouldn't change it for the world. I grew up in a house full of love, when I was home that is. Out of my entire household of seven people, I was the only one who ended up having magic. My family was very supportive, even venturing to Diagon Alley with me every year to buy my supplies and to King's Cross Station to see me off.

My first year I was sorted into Hufflepuff, my kind nature shining through and trumping all my other traits. I never understood why my house had such a negative reputation among the other students, being known as the house no one wanted to be Sorted into. Why would people not want to be in the house that valued kindness over everything?

My years spent at Hogwarts were wonderful, I only had a handful of friends, but I learned so much it was brilliant. I became part of a group called Dumbledore's Army when Voldemort was on the rise and Umbridge refused to let us learn to defend ourselves with magic. I was the very thing he hated most: a muggleborn, so I knew I had to learn to defend myself.

By the time I left Hogwarts, I was a shoo-in for the Ministry. I worked in the social work department, my passion for equality overpowering everything else. I wanted to fight for those who couldn't fight for themselves. That's where I was when Voldemort rose to power and stripped me of my position, making me run for cover or be killed.

I'd been hiding for about three months when I got word of the rebellion brewing. All of the members of the DA got coins so we'd learn about the meetings without Umbridge's knowledge, that's how I found out about us collecting in the Room of Requirement to fight and fight we did.

Many of us didn't make it out alive, but I was one of the lucky. I left with only minimal damage, well, I guess it was minimal compared to death. I was in St. Mungo's for a while with burns that scarred most of the left side of my body. It was Fiendfire, the kind that carried a curse and damage done by curses couldn't be healed. I'd have the scars for the rest of my life that spanned from the left side of my neck all the way down to my hip.

After the Battle, I was asked to come back to school and be the Muggle Studies professor. At first I was really afraid, I didn't know if it was something I could handle. The last professor was murdered and fed to Voldemort's snake, I'd been almost burned alive in the corridors of the castle. Despite all of that, I forced myself to take the job and ended up loving it. I was still teaching there three years later.

The job was amazing, but it was more strenuous than I thought it would be. I was always grading parchments or teaching classes or picking things up from Hogsmeade/Diagon Alley. Even with all that being said, I couldn't imagine why I didn't go into teaching in the first place.

Thankfully, Christmas break was a few weeks away and I got to go home. To prepare for upcoming OWLS and NEWTs I had to get a couple books from Diagon Alley. It was Saturday and the little shopping center was buzzing about with people. I waved to all my students with arms spilling over with parcels for their friends.

"Oi, hello, Professor Duke!" a fifth year named Ernie shouted, waving at me along with his group of friends.

"Hello, Ernie!" I shouted back, waving. "Don't forgot the three scrolls over muggles and electricity! It's due before the hols!"

"You're a nutter, Miss D!" he shouted back, smiling happily.

I laughed before duking into Flourish and Blotts to grab my things. I talked with the lady behind the counter as she floated the books I needed over to us. She was a pleasant old woman with a happy, warm smile.

"My little Winnie says she adores your class," she told me. "She's a third year with wild red hair and honey eyes. Do you know her?"

"Winnie McGregor? She's a delight," I told her, handing over my payment. "Very good at rock, paper, scissors if my memory serves me correctly."

"Merlin, she came home playing that for her birthday! I had no idea what it was," she replied with a bell-like laugh. "Well, I'm thankful they kept your class on the curriculum. It's really important."

"You and me both, ma'am," I laughed, touching her hand. "I hope you have a wonderful holiday! I've got to go before they catch me in here, I'll never heard the end of it if my students catch me buying _more_ books."

I had bookshelves upon bookshelves in my office and in my classroom. Most of them were muggle novels, but I had the occasional wizard biography or textbook. I must've been a Ravenclaw in another life. The kids took my books all the time and always returned them with mystified eyes. I loved sharing the gift of literature with the future generation.

With my jacket bundled back up tightly around me and my scarf tucked inside it, I made my way back out onto the snow covered cobblestone. I'd intended to Apparate back to Hogsmeade and catch a carriage to the castle, but Weasley's Wizard Wheezes caught my attention.

I should get something to prank my kids with on the last days of the term. It would be a delight to see the looks on their faces. With all the stress of the upcoming OWLs and NEWTs, they needed something to lighten the mood. I remembered what it was like to be filled to the brim with stress during that time, it would've been wonderful to have a teacher who did something pf the sort for me.

The shop was filled with students who greeted me and parents shopping for their children. I recognized a couple people from my years at Hogwarts, smiling happily at them before continuing my search. I wanted something funny but not too over the top, I didn't want to distract them too much from their studies or have a lot to clean up.

"Hello, I don't think I've seen you in here before," Ron Weasley said, swooping in to help me. "You look a bit lost. Can I help you find something for a younger sibling or cousin or maybe even child?"

I laughed at the last part, I was definitely no one's mother. "Do I look like I could be someone's mother…?"

"No, of course not! I just thought that maybe you'd be here for Christmas or something!" he spluttered, causing George Weasley to come to his rescue.

He tossed an arm around his shoulders playfully and smiled at me. "Well, Lydia Duke, as I live and breathe. As I hear it, you've been teaching at Hogwarts for the last few years, is that true?"

"Lydia? I didn't even recognize you! I'm sorry!" Ron said, trying to save himself from even more embarrassment. "Of course you don't have kids."

"Ignore ickle Ronniekins, he sticks his foot in his mouth like he gets paid for it," George said, removing his arm from Ron and wrapping it around me as he lead me deeper into the store.

"Oi, at least I'd be getting paid for something!" Ron shouted after us, making George laugh.

"So what are you looking for, 'puff?" he asked, referencing my old house. "Didn't mark you as the pranking type, honestly."

"I'm offended by your lack of faith in me," I scoffed, but my grin gave me away. "I'm looking for something to lighten the mood before term ends. You remember how terrible studying for the OWLs were, NEWTs are even worse and I have to give both."

"I wouldn't know, I left before I took my NEWTs," he told me wryly.

"I remember! It was one of my favorite memories from Hogwarts!" I exclaimed, thinking back on the spectacular display of fireworks and laughter that followed. "The look on Umbridge's face was priceless!"

"So are you thinking about a firework display?" he asked, trying to figure out what I needed for my prank.

The thought of being near anything fire related made me tense and a sour taste gather in the back of my mouth. "No, nothing with fire."

He raised his eyebrows but didn't push the subject. I'm sure he remembered me being overtaken by flames, it was his brother who ended up putting me out. I wasn't scared of much, but fire made my throat close up and my body flood with adrenaline as my fight or flight instinct kicked in.

"Right, of course, I shouldn't have even suggested that," he backtracked quickly, his face falling as memories flooded him. "I'm so sorry, Lydia."

I brushed off his words and looked around the store for the perfect prank. I lifted up a snow globe with a familiar looking building inside. "Is this the Shrieking Shack?"

"Good eye, most people just think it's a random building," he smiled, taking the snow globe and gesturing to the button on its side. "When you push this, snow flies out and forms your own personal blizzard."

"With a little well placed charms, it could make my entire classroom look like a blizzard," I mused, taking the globe back and shaking it. "And if I get two, it's going to be impossible to see across the room, right?"

His smile grew even bigger and actually seemed to be legitimate this time. "I would've never even thought of that, it'll be spectacular."

"I'm sure Professor McGonagall would love to see you if you wanted to see the prank in action," I said, looking at him out of the corner of my eye to gauge his response. "Only if you want, of course, no pressure."

He paled and the smile immediately faded. "I haven't been in the castle since…"

His brother died.

"Oh, yeah, of course," I said, covering my mouth with my hands quickly.

Unfortunately, I dropped the snow globe and it exploded on the ground. I swore under my breath before bending down and using a spell to suction up the liquid and another to gather up the glass shards.

"I'm so sorry, for breaking the globe and being insensitive. I'm not very tactful, it's why I was a Hufflepuff instead of a Ravenclaw," I said, babbling like usual when I got nervous. "Never was smart enough, the Hat even told me so. I guess that was why I quit being a social worker, couldn't remember all the important codes or rules. Oh bullocks, I'm still talking."

His lips turned up on one side and I felt my face heat up. "You're funny, 'puff. I don't remember that from DA."

"Yeah, it's a new thing for me. I'm working on a standup routine," I replied stupidly. "Not that you know what standup comedy is, it's a muggle thing and you're a pureblood. Oh my god, I sound like a total prat. I swear I'm not usually this big of a ninny, at least I don't think so."

"It was only fair, I did suggest you take a firework to school," he said after I'd finished blathering on. "I would like to see the blizzard at Hogwarts…"

"I'll write you before the end of semester after I set it up with Professor McGonagall," I smiled, taking two of the globes and following George to the checkout. "So I'll buy all three of them and head out."

"Nah, I'm not gonna charge you for the broken one. It's not a big deal, stuff breaks in here all the time."

"Are you sure? I feel really bad about it," I said, chewing my bottom lip.

"Just owl me after you get permission from McGonagall," he said, giving me back my change and saving me from another babble attack.

"Will do, thanks for the perfect prank," I replied, saluting him as I walked backward out of the store. "I'll see you soon, Mr. Weasley!"

He bowed as much as the counter would allow before returning my salute.

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 **Thanks so much for reading! I really hope you're as excited about this story as I am!**

 **Drop a review and tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I got a review! Thanks so much, _windsongspringheart_ I really appreciate your feedback!**

 **I'm going to try and post really often because this is sort of a Christmas themed story and it wouldn't be as nice in January or anything.**

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Professor McGonagall was more than happy to give me permission for my prank and to see George attend. She said she would love it if he joined us for dinner as well, a twinkle in her eye that I hadn't seen in a while coming back as she spoke of him; apparently, every one adored the Weasley family. I kept the entire prank under wraps from everyone other than the Headmaster and George for maximum security.

I wrote him a few nights later and told him the plan. I gave him a time and a date and told him McGonagall linked the Floo in her office to the one at WWW so he could come through, seeing as Apparition wasn't allowed on the grounds of Hogwarts. I once again apologized for breaking the third snow globe before ending the letter and sending it to the flat above the shop with my owl Persephone.

I knew it would be hard for him to come here after everything he'd been through. It was the same for me, walking through the halls again after I'd seem them filled with such carnage was intense. It was almost too much until I started looking at the place through the eyes of the students, looking at it with the same lense as a first year coming into the Great Hall for the first time to be Sorted. That changed made everything beautiful and magical. My life changed forever and I loved where it went. I was happy to be at Hogwarts again.

After class the entire last week of term, I would sit in my classroom and try to figure out how to achieve an ultimate blizzard. The room itself was pretty big with very little empty space, I hoped the snow wouldn't melt and ruin anything. These were questions I should've asked George before I bought them, but I'd already said I wasn't a Ravenclaw for a reason. I was also so flustered when I checked out there was no way I would've remembered them.

I glanced at the clock on the wall before making my decision. I bundled myself up and went down to the front hall of the castle. A couple kids smiled and waved at me, but the majority of them were rushing off to start last minute parchments or goof around until dinner. I nodded at them as I made my way out of the castle and down to the gates so I could Apparate to Diagon Alley.

Once I landed in the familiar town, I buried my face in my scarf and trekked to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Just like I figured, the place was still open and brightly lit. I hurried over to the door and slid inside, happily accepting the warmth as it flooded my body.

"Lydia?" Ron asked, making my eyes flash over to him.

He was pulling on his jacket and getting ready to go outside. On second through, what time did this place close?

"I was looking for George, but I can just leave if you're closing," I replied, turning on my heel to head back out into the night.

"No, he's back in the office. Go straight through, it's right past the Skiving Snackboxes display," he told me.

I patted his arm in thanks as I followed his directions through the shop. It was weird to be inside the shop when there weren't people inside, even if the place still wasn't quiet. There was a whirling sound, a whooshing sound, and something that reminded me of a muggle carousel. I even heard the murmured coos of the Pygmy Puffs as they nestled down for the night.

I found George's office and saw the door was cracked a bit. Maybe he was busy and I was going to be interrupting him if I knocked. I could have just owled him with my questions, it would have been more practical than a sporadic visit. Merlin's beard, I had no common sense.

"Ron? Is that you?" he shouted from inside. Then I heard the sound of him walking across the floor to the door, "I swear if you forgot the locking spell again I'm going to hang you upside down in the middle of the Alley in only you're y-fronts, you bloody wanker."

"No, it's me. I had a couple questions about the snow globes," I said the second he opened the door and our eyes met. "I realized a couple moments ago I could've just owled you and avoided interrupting whatever important business you're attending to. I'm just going to go back to the castle and get a late dinner and go to bed. I'll just owl you tomorrow or never again and act like this didn't happen and I didn't just embarrass myself for the millionth time."

His lips turned up into a smile I hadn't seen before. All through school, he was constantly smiling and laughing but not like this. It was more with his eyes, and there was a softness to his features that was new. The look itself made my knees a bit weak and I felt my cheeks tinting pink.

"It's kind of cute when you do that, ya know?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the doorjamb. "What kind of questions do you have?"

"A couple actually so bear with me," I told him, reaching into the pocket of my jacket to pull out the list I'd scribbled down earlier.

I was looking at the parchment so I didn't notice when George took a step back until I heard the door squeak. When I looked up, I saw him flashing the same soft smile at me and gesturing for me to come inside with him.

"Do you want to come in and sit down?" he asked. "Or better yet, do you want to go grab a late bite seeing as you've missed dinner by now?"

His jacket was hanging on a hook next to the door and the sleeves of his button up shirt were rolled up to his elbows with his tie loosened around his neck. When I glanced before him, I saw his chair pushed out with an empty spot on the desk where his feet had probably been earlier. He was relaxing after work and I interrupted.

"You were trying to relax and I interrupted. I'm sorry!" I told him reaching out and grabbing his bicep. "I'm just going to go, I'll see you."

"Lydia Duke, let me take you to dinner so we can talk," he told me, his tone playful. "I'm going to grab my coat and we're going to go."

He finished taking his coat off the hook and pulled it on. Then he led the way out of the shop with me by his side. I buried my face in my scarf once again and followed his head of red hair instead of watching where we were going.

I heard the sound of a bell ringing overhead as he pulled the door of the restaurant open for me. I quickly lifted my head but not fast enough, I heard him laughing as he followed me inside. Maybe looking like a turtle wasn't everyone's go-to during the cold months, but it had never steered me wrong.

I watched George catch the eye of a worker who gestured for him to sit anywhere he wanted. We found a table off in the corner and stripped out of our outer layers. He stood behind his chair until I sat before following me. That was sweet, he was a gentleman.

"So, what were those questions that couldn't be simply owled?" he asked, leaning back in his chair and smirking at me after we'd ordered our food.

I pulled the parchment back out of my pocket and smoothed it down on the table. "Uh, my most important question was if the snow from the globes melts and stains things."

"Nope, no stain guarantee or your money back," he answered. "Next question, please, Professor Duke."

That made me smile and some of the tension leave my body. Why was I so nervous to speak with him? It wasn't like we'd never spoken before or anything. Technically, the two of us were mates and old war buddies.

"I have Professor Burbage's old classroom. Did you ever have her class?" I asked. When he nodded, I continued, "So it's a large room, but it's full of stuff. How do I get the most snow out of the globes: placing them high or low?"

That kick started our conversation and kept us speaking until our plates were clean and we'd shared a treacle tart. He was reclining back in his chair again and my posture matched. I glanced down and saw his legs peeking out from the empty chair beside me.

"You are so tall! Your legs are on my side!" I exclaimed with a laugh.

He sat up quickly, making the chair beside me flip over backwards and me jump. He swore colorfully under his breath before standing up and positioning the chair back on its legs. Instead of going back to his seat, he sat down in the freshly righted chair and looked at me with the tips of his ears flushed red along with most of his face.

"That wasn't my plan, if you're curious," he told me a beat later.

"Ah, so you're not cool and collected all the time," I quipped, happy to not be the only one making a fool of myself.

"I seem to have fooled you, Professor Duke. I'm neither cool nor collected most days," he told me, reaching out and tapping the tip of my nose flirtatiously. "If you're worried about using the globes correctly, I could always come a little early and help you out. Only if you want, of course."

He said the last sentence in a rush, the words tumbling out of his lips on top of each other. Did I make him nervous? I wasn't aware George Weasley could ever be nervous, he was always so cool when we were at Hogwarts. Easily the most popular boy in our year along with Fred, every single person in the castle knew who he was.

"That sounds like a godsend, actually. I want this to be brilliant and I'm afraid I'll muck it up," I sighed, flipping my hair over my shoulder awkwardly.

He looked at me curiously and I realized he didn't understand my saying in the slightest. I didn't explain it, I just returned his smile instead. He was really attractive, always had been, but he looked older now. His hair was longer, not quite as long as our sixth year but still long, and he had a scruffy beard that was new.

He had his arm resting on the table and the watch on his wrist told me it was well after midnight. I had classes early in the morning. As much as I hated to end this thing, whatever it may be, I needed to turn in for the night.

"Wow, when did it get that late?" I asked, gesturing to his arm and watching as he raised his brows in surprise.

"I'm sorry for keeping you out so late, Professor, I really should get you back to the castle," he replied, standing up and moving behind me to assist in putting my jacket on.

Once we were rebundled, we went back outside into the deserted streets. I turned back to face him and saw him already watching me, his cheek turning red when he realized he'd been caught.

"Thank you so much for helping me and paying for dinner, no matter how much I argued," I told him, grinning despite the wind whipping at my exposed face.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to escort you back to the castle. I'd feel terrible if something happened from here to there," he told me, trying to be smooth but realizing the implication of his words a second later. "Not in a creepy way, in an endearing way. Bullocks, I need to stop talking before I make this worse."

I stepped back and placed my hand in the bend of his elbow. "Listen, George Weasley, the mindless babbling is my thing. You don't see me stepping on your heels, now do you?"

"Says the girl who's going to pull off a prank at Hogwarts," he grinned, falling back into playful mode easily. "You started this."

I rolled my eyes before bringing my wand out of my jacket pocket and co-apparating us back to the gates of the castle. I stepped away from his side and looked up at him, twisting my fingers awkwardly as I did.

"So, the last day of the semester is next Friday and I have my first class at eleven," I told him, trying to alleviate the tension in the air.

"I'll have Ron bring Harry with him to run the store and come to the castle at around nine or so, if that's okay," he suggested.

"Yeah, that sounds good. I'll tell McGonagall about it tomorrow at breakfast," I replied. "Thanks again for dinner and for making sure I got back safely."

He opened his arms to me and took a step forward waiting for me to close the gap. I swallowed down my anxieties and hugged him, surprised by how warm he was. When I pulled back, I saw the familiar soft smile on his lips.

"I'll see you Friday," he told me.

I nodded and said the opening spell to the gate, walking inside and waiting for it to swing close behind me before I locked it back. George leaned against it and watched as I made my way back up to the castle itself. I pulled open the heavy doors and waved, watching as he Apparated away before going up to my quarters for the night.

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 **Thanks for reading!**

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	3. Chapter 3

**I got a review! Thanks, _Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967,_ for the review! It means a lot!**

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Friday morning I made my way to Professor McGonagall's office to meet George. She gave me permission to be in there alone while she was teaching a class, something she rarely ever did, and I was kind of proud. I guess she was as excited for past students to feel comfortable within the castle walls again.

As soon as the clock struck nine, the Floo roared to life and George Weasley appeared in the fireplace. Apprehension was clear on his face the second he stepped into the office, I had a similar look the first couple times I walked through the corridors again. It was rough being somewhere that held only bad memories.

"Thank you so much for coming," I told him, standing up from the chair I was waiting in and heading over to greet him. "But you don't have to stay if you don't want to. It's your decision."

He gripped my upper arms and stopped their awkward movements. "It's a little weird, but I promised I'd help you out. I can't hide from this place forever."

"If you're sure," I finally said, hoping he was being honest and not just putting up a front. "I have all the things we need in my classroom. Do you want to stop by breakfast or have you already eaten?"

His smile was flat when he shook his head, but he was trying and that's what mattered. We made our way down from the Headmaster's office and into the corridor. I felt the tension wafting off George letting it fuel my next move. I reached down and slid my fingers between his, holding his hand in mine as we made our way to my classroom.

I could hear different professors lecturing from their own classrooms and smiled. There was snow falling outside the windows and a chill throughout the castle, making it feel familiar. For some reason, Hogwarts always felt a little bit more like home during the winter months than any other time.

"That's bloody eerie," he remarked as we got onto one of the moving staircases. "I remember these being nothing but rubble way down there. I remember most of this entire castle being in shambles and it looks like nothing's different than when we were first years."

I remember feeling like that when I first came back, too. Everything looked the same, with the addition of a couple ghosts and some new portraits, but I was so different. It felt like things could never be normal again, but nobody had told the castle that. I was wracking my brain to come up with something to relax him when I realized how dumb I was.

"There's something I want to show you, if you want of course," I told him suddenly, pulling him to a stop with our intertwined fingers once we were off the staircase.

Anxiety flashed across his face, but I held steady. It basically came down to if he trusted me enough to go with me. I was almost positive what I had to show him would everything different.

"You're not taking me somewhere to take advantage of me in my current state or anything, are you?" he asked, trying to keep the conversation light and just barely missing the mark.

"Believe it or not, I don't have sex with random men in the corridors of Hogwarts. It's never really been my style, even before my disfigurements," I told him, my anxiety being replaced with anger as I dropped his hands and placed mine on my hips.

His eyes were huge as he looked at me in surprise. "Lydia, that wasn't what I was implying at all! I was just trying to not make it seem like I'm an overemotional sod. I think you're really cool and I liked hanging out with you, but I would never make do anything you weren't comfortable with. Ever."

His gentle response made shameful tears burn my eyes. I babbled a lot, but I never told people about my body image issues. I wanted everyone to think I was okay with my scars, that I didn't let them define who I was, but it wasn't always the case. I always wore long sleeves, keeping my robes on in the summer and never wearing anything that bared my midriff or my back.

"I am sufficiently mortified and seriously want to be anywhere but here," I admitted in a small voice while I avoided his eyes. "Sometimes my babbling is cute, but other times it's the worst thing about me. Well, one of the worst things anyway."

I was still avoiding his gaze when he took my face in his hands, tilting it up until I had nowhere else to look. "Scars are a part of life, Lydia. They don't make us who we are, they remind us of what we've been through. I don't have a bloody ear! You think that's not something I worry about all the time, you think it's not the first thing people see when they look at me? Well, that or the fact that my twin brother is dead. I know all about people only seeing you for your worst moments, but I'm not that person. I swear."

His thumb stroked over my cheekbone absentmindedly as he held my eyes with his. I didn't really have many friends, especially ones I could relate to on this level, so this was an experience for me. He knew exactly what I was talking about, how people only remembered you for the worst day of your life. I wasn't Lydia Duke, excellent finder with the big eyes anymore, I was now Lydia Duke, survivor of the Great War with an entire left side full of scars.

"If it helps, I didn't even notice your ear until you pointed it out," I told him in a small voice.

He shook his head and reached up to his ear, fiddling with it before bringing it back down and opening his palm. Resting inside it was something the same color as his skin and rounded, kind of like a muggle hearing aid.

"This is a prosthetic, I wear it so people don't stare any more than usual. It's also why I keep my hair longer now," he explained, his other hand still holding my face.

"I never wear short sleeves or anything that shows the skin of my torso," I told him, figuring I'd give him a secret in return for his. "I'd show you, but I'm not quite as brave as you, Gryffindor."

He grinned before moving his hand away from my face, sliding it back down to hold mine. "I was told there was something you wanted to show me. Is that still on the table or did I scare you off?"

"I don't know if it's something you've seen before, but it's something you definitely need to," I told him, turning left and heading down an empty corridor. "It's right down here."

Through the castle there were a portraits of all the people who died in the War and one big one of every included. There were also picture of the original Order of the Phoenix and of Dumbledore's Army hanging in the Great Hall. It was nice to know we were being recognized, I just tried to look at them as little as possible for obvious reasons. There was something eerie about seeing people who were dead existing in that little bit of time.

"A couple first years were talking about a portrait that kept pranking them and I knew it had to be Fred," I told him, stopping in front of the frame. "He does a couple tricks and I'm pretty sure it's most of the students' favorite place in the castle."

He dropped my hand and stepped forward, pressing his fingers to the canvas as Fred's lips tilted up into a mischievous grin. I didn't know what to say so I just watched, his eyes were bright and his smile was blinding. I hadn't really thought about it, but this might've been the first time he'd seen his twin without looking in a mirror.

"What pranks does he do?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"He and Peeves work together a lot, but Fred seems to be able to reign him in most of the time," I replied, stepping forward and placing a hand between George's shoulder blades. "There's a levitation jinx and a spot on the floor that sinks, and I'm pretty sure there's one that makes people's hair stand on end."

"That's the best thing I've ever heard," he said without looking away from the canvas. "I know it's just enchanted and he's not really there, but this is the closest I've felt to him in years. Thank you, Lydia."

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We made it back to my classroom a little while later and started working on the placement of the globes. We did a couple run-throughs to make sure everything was perfect, a grin finding its way onto my face when the entire room was engulfed in a snowstorm.

"This is perfect!" I exclaimed, turning in circles in the middle of the classroom. "Thank you so much! Everyone's going to love it!"

He made his way over to stand in front of me after he stopped the snow. "You're beautiful, so beautiful."

My face heated up and I shook my head. "No, I'm not. I'm too plain."

He shook his head, "There's nothing plain about you, Lydia Duke. Not one single thing."

His hand came up to cup my jaw and he stroked my face with his thumb. I sensed him leaning in to me and I stood up on my tiptoes, maneuvering myself so he could kiss me easier. We were so close I could feel his breath on my skin when I heard the bell in the hall ring, signaling class change.

"Can we pick this up a little later? My class is about to start coming in and this would be pretty hard to explain," I breathed, making no move to step back. "But I definitely want to pick this back up."

He nodded and kissed my forehead before going over to my desk. I forgot the way it felt when someone kissed me there, it was kind of the best thing ever. I was still smiling when the kids started filtering into the classrooms. I saw at least ten uniform violations but didn't write them up. It was the last day before break, they could be a little sloppy.

"No way, Professor D! That's George Weasley!" Grey Harrison shouted from his spot beside Flint Yarbo. "Why is he here?"

"Is he your boyfriend?" Maggie Jenkins asked, finding her seat as well.

I rolled my eyes and said, "Sit down and pull out your parchments. You've had the entire term to write them even though I suspect a lot of you wrote yours last night. You have the period to do finishing touches and talk amongst yourselves about what you learned through the project."

"So, he's not your boyfriend, then?" Maggie asked, making me blush and give her the side eye.

She laughed before turning to talk to her table mate. "Place your finished parchments on my desk, please!"

Everyone made various noises of agreement before going back to doing their own things. I made my way back to my desk and sat beside George, not quite sure how to act around him after our almost kiss earlier.

"So, do you want to come over to my flat tonight?" he asked quietly, looking over at me with shy eyes. When he realized what he'd said, he immediately started backtracking, "For dinner, of course! I don't have any ulterior motives or anything, I've just been told I'm an alright cook."

I smiled and put my hand on top of his on the desk to calm his nerves. "That sounds lovely. I would love to have dinner with you tonight, especially if this prank goes as planned."

Eventually, all the parchments were turned in and the classroom was abuzz with excited chatter about the holiday. I winked at George before barely lifting my wand and making a light snowstorm start in the classroom. All the kids looked around in confusion, trying to find the source of the snow but to no avail. I watched George move his wand and made the snow come down even harder. I did the final tap and a full on blizzard was happening in the classroom.

"Professor Duke! What's happening?" McKesha Weller shouted, swirling around in the snowflakes with the other students.

"How is it snowing indoors?"

"Is this why George Weasley is here? Are you pranking us, Professor D?"

"Guilty!" I shouted back, hopping up from the desk and scooping up some snow for a snowball. "I'm also guilty of throwing the first snowball!"

A full on snow war started after that and shrieks of happiness rang through the room. I saw George throwing snow at the class as well and knew this was going perfectly. By the time the bell rang, we were all disheveled and breathing heavily.

"Have a wonderful holiday!" I told them, waving as they exited the classroom with excited shrieks. "I'll see you next term!"

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By the time my three classes were over, I was exhausted in the very best way. Surprisingly, George stayed with me the entire time and had as much fun as I did. I perched on the edge of my desk beside George after my last class left. I didn't realize my sweater had slipped off my shoulder until I felt George sliding it back into place with his eyes holding mine.

I learned a lot from that small movement. He didn't look at my scars because he knew I was uncomfortable about them. Instead, he pulled my sweater back up to keep them hidden from his sight. Without thinking, I reached up and brushed his hair over his ear to keep it hidden.

"You don't have to hide from me," he told me, his hand catching mine as it dropped from his hair. "I'm tired of hiding from everyone, I want to be open with someone."

"You can always be open with me, but I'm working on being the same with you," I told him honestly. "Wait for me?"

"Of course," he said, kissing my fingertips delicately.

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	4. Chapter 4

**I had a reviewer last chapter who helped me by pointing out some out of character moments with Lydia, and I really appreciate that. I remember when I was editing the chapter, I also thought that was weird but ended up just leaving it in there. Please, if you read something that doesn't make sense or is worded funny, tell me. I am a writer who is always changing and always learning, your all's help is SUPER appreciated.**

 **Thanks a lot, _Addy_! I really appreciated your sharp eye in regards to my writing. Please continue to be that way with every new chapter, it is good. Also thanks to _Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967_ for your kind words!**

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Getting ready for dinner with George was more nerve wracking than I thought it would be. He'd showed me a part of him he usually kept hidden and I wanted to do the same. I just wasn't as brave as him, I couldn't expose all of me just yet. I took a baby step and wore a t-shirt without long sleeves. Some of my scars were on display, but the majority for them were covered for now. That was more than I've shown most people I've known my whole life.

I straightened my hair and winged my liner before bundling up and stepped outside to Apparate to WWW. I'd never actually been inside before so I made my way inside the joke shop and up the stairs to his the flat. I took a calming breath and knocked on the door, stepping back to wait for George.

I heard rustling inside before a lock slide out of place and the door opened. He had an apron tied around his waist and a rag in his hand, using it to wipe his hands clean. I don't know if I've ever seen him look quite so attractive before. Without thinking, I stood on my tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Hello to you, too, 'puff," he grinned, his cheeks turning red at my sudden bout of affection. "If I'd known it would make you this happy, I'd have cooked for you in school."

"Why in school? I didn't think you really even knew who I was," I replied, stepping into the warm flat with him.

I watched him wince as the tips of his ears turn red and realized he wasn't wearing the prosthetic on his left ear. "You're not wearing your prosthetic tonight?"

"I told you, I don't want to hide from you," he shrugged, tucking the rag into the pocket of his apron. "Can I take your coat?"

"You're not the only one trying to not hide. I'm not wearing sleeves," I told him, unzipping my jacket and unknotting my scarf slowly.

I pulled off my jacket and scarf, handing them to George and taking a deep breath. With my hair over one of my shoulders, I turned and allowed him to see my left arm. There were scars licking from under my sleeve and down to my wrist, but nothing like it was on my back and stomach. I was pink, kind of like my skin was still growing or something.

I felt his fingers feather-light trailing down my arm over the scars. I had my eyes clenched shut and my lips were set in a straight line. It was only a matter of seconds before he freaked out. If the ones on my arm were this bad, how badly did he think my torso looked? Boys didn't like girls with disfigurements.

"Thank you," he told me a beat later, moving to stand in front of me and tilted my head up to look at him. "For letting me in."

"It's a baby step, but I swear I'm trying," I promised, leaning into him as he cupped my cheek.

"Baby steps are still steps, Lydia," he told me quietly.

I stood on my tiptoes and held his wrist in my hand. "I really want to kiss you, George Weasley."

He nodded and stooped over, still holding my face as he leaned into me. I felt his breath on my lips again and took the final leap by pressing our lips together. He held me like I was fragile and I barely pressed the kiss further, just enjoying the feel of butterfly wings against my skin.

I pulled back a full minute later and stood flat footed again, looking up at him with wide eyes. He was smiling softly, just a tilt of his lips and it made a fire light in my belly. I wanted to kiss him more but held back, we'd just met and I didn't want to jump the gun.

"I was told there was also food," I said, looking at him with a smile full of chagrin. "Maybe we can continue this after…?"

His eyes flashed before he straightened back up and took my hand in his. He led the way to the kitchen and gestured for me to sit at the kitchen table. Then he gestured to the wine bottle with the glass beside it for me to pour myself a drink, which I did happily.

"That looks brilliant!" I exclaimed, leaning back against the kitchen counter to look at the pot sitting on the burner. "Is it beef stew?"

"It's my mum's recipe and I'm trying to do it justice," he replied, stirring the pot and looking at me. "If it's awful, you don't have to lie."

I shook my head and took another sip of my wine. "I'm sure it'll be great. I don't think you can mess up beef stew."

"Remember that when you get a bowl later," he winked, grabbing a roll of bread and a knife. "Can you cut this and put it on that sheet?"

I nodded and moved over to the cutting board with the bread. I placed them evenly apart on the sheet before coating them in olive oil and letting him place them in the oven. I was still iffy about anything hot.

Once dinner was finished, I helped him set the table and poured myself another glass of wine. When I asked if he wanted one, he declined and pulled pumpkin juice from the fridge instead. Then he sat down across from me and levitated the bowls of stew over to sit in front of each of us along with the basket of bread.

He watched me anxiously as I took the first bite and let out a surprised noise. "This is so good! George, why were you nervous?"

The same soft smile from earlier was back and it lit a fire in my stomach, one I wasn't afraid of for once. We ate together and joked about, having a really good time. I'm sure the wine was helping things along so I switched to water after my second glass. The last thing I needed was to be drunk off my ass tonight, I was too attracted to him for that.

We finished eating and moved to the living room, sitting together on the couch. He was telling me about catching the canopy around his bed in the Gryffindor Tower on fire once along with Fred in their sixth year. I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes, the way he told the story was just so funny I couldn't handle it. I wasn't even afraid, the thought of it happening to me wasn't suffocating. This was a new development.

"The two of you did so many crazy things. I hardly left my mark," I told him, tucking my feet underneath me on the sofa. "My friends and I weren't very remarkable."

He reached out and brushed my hair over my shoulder, his fingers trailing across my cheekbone fleetingly before resting on the couch between us. "Not true, I remember you all through school, 'puff."

His confession made me flush and look away from his warm brown eyes. Then I had the realization I could be getting played. The thought hadn't even crossed my mind once since I'd met him, but I knew people would do that to you. They would break your heart and not think twice.

Okay, so, I haven't told the entirety of my backstory just yet. When I was a sixth year, I fell in love with a boy who had ulterior motives. I thought he loved me and naively gave him my heart and had sex with him. The next day I was attached and he wasn't even looking my direction in the halls. He played me for what he wanted and I gave in within three weeks, not my finest moment by far.

"What was so memorable about me?" I asked, trying to put up a wall to stop myself from completely falling into him.

"Watching you in the library with your blonde friend, the way you tuck your hair behind your ear and it makes you look like an elf," he replied without much thought as he brushed the shell of my ear. "The concentration you had when you cut your food at dinner, the way you covered your mouth when you spoke and laughed. How you always smiled at everyone when you passed them in the corridors, even Slytherins. I could go on if you'd like for me to. I've adored you for longer than I want to admit, if we're being honest."

A flicker of hope lit in my chest, this was real for him. I was so dumb to think he would have shared the things he did if I was just another girl to him. With that thought in mind, I leaned forward and held his gaze shyly. It was his turn to make a move and kiss me, I kissed him earlier.

"Can I kiss you again or is it too soon?" he whispered softly.

"Please," I breathed out, just on the side of desperate.

If he noticed how desperate I was, he didn't say anything about it. Instead, he pushed his lips against mine and closed the gap between us quickly. This kiss had a kick to it the previous one didn't, it was a lot more than a brush of butterfly wings. He was trying to keep himself in check, but I could tell he wanted so much more than the light kiss.

I pulled on my big girl knickers and parted my lips under his. He immediately took advantage of the progression and slid his tongue along my bottom lip playfully. I tilted my head and moved closer to him on the sofa, allowing him to take full control of the kiss now.

His tongue charted out my mouth as I knotted my fingers in his hair. One of his hands moved down to grab my waist to press us infinitely closer. I wrapped my free arm around his shoulders and moved up onto my knees as our tongues brushed against each other for the first time.

A strangled squeaking noise left my throat that made me flush immediately. My heart was already pounding against my ribs, but that noise made embarrassment flood me, too. I sounded like a teenage girl during my first make out session in a broom closet at Hogwarts or something.

"How are you so cute and sexy at the same time?" he asked in a rough voice, putting a couple centimeters between us to breathe.

"What? I am _not_ sexy!" I huffed, only slightly winded now.

"On the contrary, 'puff, you're so damn sexy," he replied, tracing his fingers over the outside bend of my arm where it rested on his shoulder. "I have a very hard time staying in control when it comes to you."

That was going to change so drastically when he saw all my scars. They weren't sexy or cute, they were disfiguring. Like he sensed my unease, he turned his head and trailed kisses over the marred skin. I trailed my fingers over what was left of his ear in response and saw his cheeks dust pink.

"When I show you my body, I don't want it to change things," I admitted, still touching his skin as I spoke. "I'm afraid."

"You don't have to do anything with me you're not comfortable with. I don't expect anything from you," he replied, his fingers still rubbing my scars almost absentmindedly.

I let out a breath and leaned my forehead against his shoulder by my arm. "Baby steps, right?"

A laugh rumbled his chest and made the tension in the room fade. I needed to calm down, things didn't have to be so tense. We were both scarred from war and taking a big chance on each other. Telling secrets and showing our bodies was hard for both of us, but we wanted to do it with each other. That spoke volumes to me.

"Does that involve kissing you again? Because I really want to kiss you again," George suggested, smirking at me cheekily.

I took a breath and maneuvered myself onto his lap, completely shocking him and myself a little bit. I was shy, I don't think I ever actually put myself on anyone's lap before. My arms around his neck anchored me down as I kissed him, sliding my tongue into his mouth this time. He gripped my waist as we slowly learned each other. We stumbled through a rhythm until we finally started to move together, his hands staying in safe places yet making my blood pound in my ears.

This was not how I thought pulling a prank on my classes would work out. I never thought George Weasley would have had a crush on me in school or now, but here we were with me on his lap in a short sleeve t-shirt in his flat making out.

I wasn't complaining.

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	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to _windsongspringheart_ for their reviews! **

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I spent most of the night with George on his couch. I would like to say we talked and learned new things about each other, but we mostly made out. His hands were lost in my hair while mine explored his jaw, neck, cheeks, anything and everything I could reach. It kind of felt like we were teenagers that couldn't get enough of each other.

By the time I'd put my shoes back on and bundled myself up again, my insides were completely liquid. He'd effectively melted me into a puddle and something told me he wasn't the least bit sorry over it. I'd just looped my scarf into place when he took my cheeks in his hands again and pulled me into our millionth kiss of the night.

When we parted, I glanced around the apartment and said, "Do you not decorate for the holiday other than in the shop?"

He looked away from me and raised his brows like he hadn't even noticed it wasn't decorated. "We decorate at my parents' house, I never really thought about decorating the flat. No one has been in the place other than me or Ron in years."

That made sense, he shared the flat with Fred before the Battle and now it was just him. "I find it hard to believe you don't bring girls back to your flat all the time, Mr. Weasley. You're kind of fit."

I expected him to roll his eyes or smirk or something, but his face became stony instead. "I haven't brought any of the random girls I've shagged back to my flat. It's a private place."

Jealousy flared at the mention of him shagging other girls, but I tried to stamp it out. He was allowed to have sex with whomever he pleased. Unfortunately for me, I had one of those faces that showed every emotion that I ever felt and George was already too good at reading me.

Almost as fast as his face turned stony, it turned into a smug smirk. "Did you accidently make yourself jealous, 'puff?"

I crossed my arms over my chest the best I could with my puffy jacket and looked at him with a hopefully indifferent look on my face. "You're a grown man, you can sleep with whoever you want."

"Come back inside so we can talk about this. I don't fancy having this conversation in the doorway of my flat," he sighed, running a hand over his scruffy jaw.

I toyed with the thought of just leaving the flat, but something in his eyes made me follow him back to the living room. I undid my scarf and unzipped my jacket, shrugging them off and laying them over a chair in the kitchen as we passed it. I sat on the couch with one leg crossed over the other and my fingers laced resting on top of them with a ramrod straight spine.

"Please don't be upset, this isn't something that's easy for me to talk about," he told me after we sat in silence for a couple minutes. "After the War, I spent a lot of time lost in the bottle. All I did was drink and shag random girls I met at pubs. I didn't bring them back here because we usually went to the Leaky Cauldron."

That was understandable, he lost quite literally the other half of himself. I didn't drink after the war, but I did try to hide myself from everyone and everything in my room at home. I guess everyone had their own ways of coping with trauma.

"There's no other way to say it, I was in a really bad way. Ron ran the shop by himself for the most part with the help of Harry and even Hermione at some points. I hit complete rock bottom and mum made me fix myself," he told me, his eyes holding mine and completely surprising me. There must've been more trust on his part than I originally realized. "I also had a nasty bout of dragon rash that scared me a bit."

Dragon rash was the wizard equivalent of chlamydia that was cured by taking a month's worth of potion. Simply casting a protection charm would keep you safe, but I suppose he wasn't in the right mindset to do that. I couldn't imagine the lighthearted George Weasley I knew ever being in that state, it was almost painful to think about.

"Oh," I finally said, a loss for any other words to say. "How long ago was that?"

His cheeks flushed red and he rubbed his jaw when he answered, "I've been sober for two years and celibate for about six months."

"That explains why I was the only one drinking earlier," I said suddenly, trying to alleviate the tension.

"Yeah, I had the bottle left over from a holiday party a few years back," he explained, still a bit awkward. "I figured tonight was as good as any to drink it."

"I'm sorry for freaking out on you earlier, I just don't like the thought of you sleeping with other girls. Even if I don't have any right to be angry," I admitted a little while later, my own cheeks turning pink as I held his intense brown gaze. "I haven't had sex since the War, if that means anything to you."

"You're jealous and it's very sexy," he smirked before skimming his thumb over his bottom lip thoughtfully. "But I must admit I like being the first guy you've snogged in that long."

A sly grin of my own found its way to my lips as I said, "I never said that."

I must be getting better at reading his face as well because I saw the unabashed jealous color his features. He didn't like the thought of me snogging other guys and it send an excited shiver through me.

"Fair enough, but you're still sexy," he finally said, moving closer and kissing me.

As much as I hated the thought, I pulled away from the kiss before it got too intense and stood up. He followed me and held up my jacket, helping me put it on before looping my scarf around my neck for me. Then he used it to pull me forward and kiss my forehead, making warmth blossom in my belly for the billionth time tonight as I wrapped my arms around his middle.

"If my flat is so season-less to you, come with me tomorrow to buy a tree and bobbles and the whole thing," he suggested, leaning against the door frame with me standing on the other side after we parted.

I didn't expect him to invite me to go with him tree shopping, but excitement bubbled in my stomach anyway. "You want our second date to be Christmas tree shopping?"

"Why not?" he asked. "You seem pretty excited over it."

I smiled and twisted the fringe at the bottom of my scarf as I responded, "I'll meet you in the shop tomorrow at noon? Is that okay?"

"That sounds brilliant. I'll have Verity run it, she's an old pro now," he explained, leaning forward and kissing me one last time. "I'll see you tomorrow."

I kissed him once more when he finished speaking before Apparating back to Hogsmeade. Because it was the holiday, there was a Floo system set up in the basement of the Three Broomsticks that opened up in McGonagall's office that only professors were allowed to use. A detection charm was used before you could step out of the fireplace in her office, and it was equipped to recognize every professor.

I went back to my quarters and smiled at the Christmassy feel of the place. The front room had a tree and tinsel hung around the walls. There were candelabras set around with holiday scented candles in them that had my entire place smelling like freshly baked sweets and cinnamon.

I hung my scarf and jacket on the coat rack by the door and kicked off my Chuck Taylors beside it. The clock on the wall told me it was late and I still needed to shower so I made my way to the attached bathroom. Once I finished in there, I fell into my bed and asleep faster than I thought possible.

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I woke up the next morning and pulled my robes on over my pyjamas, heading to the bathroom to brush my teeth and braid my hair. Then I made my way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. I said my greetings to all my students and thanked them when they complimented me on the prank. By the time I made it to the professors' table, I was smiling up a storm. I loved my job so much.

"Good morning, Professor Duke," Professor McGonagall greeted as I sat in my spot between Professor Slughorn and Professor Flitwick. "You've been quite the talk of the castle as of late between your prank and the sudden appearance of Mr. Weasley."

My face heated up as I ladled spiced apples onto my plate. "The prank did go brilliantly. You couldn't see the room for all the snow. I know the students loved it as much as I did. It definitely decreased the tension surrounding exams if only for one class."

I purposefully ignored the part about George because I didn't really know what to say. We were going on our second date today and I was excited, but he wasn't my boyfriend and anything of the nature quite yet. McGonagall seemed to pick up on that because she went back to her breakfast and allowed me to do the same.

I watched the children as I ate, my favorite thing to do. They were all so happy to not have any worries, even if they had to spend the holiday in the castle. I remembered staying here and loving it, spending all the time with my friends and exchanging gifts. Like I've mentioned before, Christmas time was my favorite time here in the castle.

By the time I was finished, I said goodbye to the other professors and made my way back to my quarters. Well, I tried to make my way back to my quarters, but I was stopped by a student. Lyra Cornwall was one of my best, a seventh year who showed great healing promise.

"Professor Duke, can I ask you something?" she asked as we walked together.

I stopped and moved to the side so we had more privacy and said, "Of course, Lyra, you can talk to me about anything."

"I've been dating Levi Grains since my fifth year and I love him a lot, but he doesn't understand why I want to study at St. Andrews instead of St. Mungo's after Hogwarts. He's so upset, he thinks I don't want to be with him anymore," she told her, her blue eyes filling with tears as she spoke.

I glanced over her shoulder and saw the staircase leading to my office. "Let's go into my office so we can talk privately, yeah?"

She nodded and followed behind as I led the way to the room. We stopped outside the door and I said, "Holly sprig."

We made our way into the room and I gestured for her to sit before following her lead. "So, you're having trouble with your future and your boyfriend?"

"Yes, it's like he doesn't understand that he's also making decisions that don't involve me. He's almost positive the Auror academy is going to send him an invitation this summer and I know it's going to happen. His NEWTs are going to be brilliant because he's brilliant," she started explaining, her eyes spilling over. "We're going to be separated for months at a time anyway, I don't understand why he's making a big deal out of me doing what I need to as well."

I handed her a couple tissues and she wiped her face with them. "Lyra, dear, he's scared of the future like much of your classmates. He's afraid the two of you will drift apart if you go your separate ways for your futures."

"Does he think I'm not terrified? I love him so much, but this is my future we're talking about. I've always known what I wanted to do and he has as well. We were mates before we got together," she whimpered, more tears getting caught by the tissue. "I thought we were strong enough for anything. What if we're not?"

"If you're strong and you love each other, everything will work out," I told her, taking her hand in mine. "And if things don't work, it's not the end of the world. He's just one boy, there's a million more of them. You need to go to Healer's academy and make your future as best as you can because that's what really matters. If you do what you have to for yourself, everything else falls into place. I promise you that."

She nodded and it looked like a great weight had been taken off her shoulders. "Thank you for speaking with me, Professor. I know it's your time off and you probably have places to be."

"My most important place to be is here for all of you. You're what's most important to me," I told her honestly. Then I stood and hugged her, "You're a brilliant girl, you'll figure out what's best for you and I know it."

We parted ways soon after that and I finally made it back to my quarters. It was eleven o'clock so I hurried to start getting ready. By the time I finished, I realized I was pushing my time and hurried to Professor McGonagall's office to Floo to Hogsmeade so I could Apparate and meet George.

I walked out of the Three Broomsticks and Apparated to the joke shop, smiling at the thought of seeing George again. I pushed into the store and immediately saw him near the door, his face breaking into a huge grin the second our eyes met and he rushed over to me. His arms wrapped around me and warmth sank into my bones when he kissed my hair.

"Hi to you, too," I greeted once he stepped back to look at me.

"I just have to tell Verity I'm heading out and we can go," he told me, gesturing over to the counter where a girl sat looking bored. "Just stand here and look beautiful. Look at that, you're doing a great job."

I rolled my eyes, but the compliment made me blush regardless. George Weasley had a way of making warmth blossom inside me that no one else ever had. It was kind of my favorite thing in the entire world and I hoped it never stopped happening.

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	6. Chapter 6

**Hi, this chapter is fun! Okay.**

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George came back to me a couple minutes later, and I placed my hand on the bend of his arm. I didn't really know where to shop for Christmas items in the wizard world, most of mine came from muggle shops. Except the candles, they came from Diagon Alley and I adored them. They never melted down and the wax never got on anything yet they filled an entire room with the smell.

He, on the other hand, seemed to know exactly where to go. He Apparated us to Diagon Alley and lead the way to a shop I'd never seen before. My surprise must've been evident because he laughed and pulled me closer to explain.

"The shop only appears during Christmas," he told me, watching the way my eyes got bigger as we got closer. "I never knew you loved Christmas this much, 'puff."

I banged my shoulder against his playfully and replied, "It's a brilliant holiday all about giving and kindness. What would make you think I didn't love it? I'm a proud Hufflepuff after all."

Instead of replying, he kissed the side of my head fleetingly and replied, "You just keep getting cuter. I'm waiting for it to stop happening, but there doesn't seem to be an end in sight."

I didn't answer him, I just snuggled further into his side. Close to him was quickly becoming one of my favorite places to be. He was so warm and always smelled so wonderful, and don't even get me started on how amazing he was at hugging me or what his forehead kisses did to my insides.

Eventually, we parted and made our way into the shop. It was a lot bigger than I realized at first glance, there had to be at least three floors to the place. I felt like a little kid with the ball of excitement welling in my belly. I was so hyped to see everything that I was literally bouncing on my heels.

While I was trying to see the entire store from my spot, George grabbed a trolley and made his way back to me. "You know it's easier to see the place if you move from that spot, yeah?"

I rolled my eyes but followed him deeper into the store anyway. We made our way to the bobbles first and he stared at the shelves. I didn't want to pick everything out for him, I wanted his flat to look like his version of Christmas.

"You look a little perplexed, Weasley," I remarked cheekily. "It's not complicated, just pick the ones you like the most."

He gave me an exasperated look before shifting his gaze back to the shelves. Eventually, he chose some and it made me laugh at how predictable he was. That Gryffindor pride must run deeper than I realized.

"Why are all Gryffindors so predictable?" I asked, gesturing to the red and gold bobbles now sitting in the trolley.

He didn't dignify that with a response, he just ignored me and made his way to the lights. Those were easier for him to choose but not surprising again. They were gold; I was definitely starting to see a pattern to his decorations.

"So, are you going to charm your tree to roar or would that be a bit over the top?" I kept teasing as we looked at trees.

"I lied, there is an end to your cuteness and I just found it," he told me, but the grin on his face contradicted his words.

"Wow, I was just trying to do something helpful and you attack me like this? I'm offended," I teased, brushing my fingers over the pine needles of the tree in front of me. "I would be angrier, but it's impossible when it smells so wonderful in this place."

"Ah, and the cuteness is back just like that," he grinned, leaning over and pinching my cheek playfully before focusing back on the trees. "They all look the exact same! How am I supposed to pick one?"

"They most certainly do NOT look the same! Not one of these trees have a thing in common, they're not even all green!" I exclaimed. "There are big ones and small ones and thick ones and thin ones and white ones and green ones with snow on their limbs."

"So, you picked a tree out with no problem?" he asked, looking at me with a raised brow.

"No, I just transfigured a house plant into a tree until after the holiday," I replied. "But when I go to my parents' house, we'll chop down our own tree."

"Chop down a tree? What does that mean?" he asked, his attention leaving the pines and focusing completely on me. "Is that a muggle thing?"

"We learned about it in muggle studies. You take an axe and go into the woods to find the perfect tree. It's either that or a fake, plastic tree that can be reused every year," I explained, instantly falling into professor mode without much thought. "Those are practical, but they hardly have the same feel to them. A real tree fills the house with the smell of pine and it's one of the most basic smells of Christmas."

I expected him to say something sassy in return, but he just looked at me instead. His eyes were slightly bigger than normal and his lips were turned up in the slightest of smiles, awe coloring the rest of his features. I couldn't figure out what he was in awe over, I was just speaking like I did whenever I was with my students. I figured he would think it was annoying like everyone else did whenever I explained something muggle related.

"I want to snog you in the worst way right now," he breathed so quietly that only I could hear.

"Then you'd better go pay for these things," I replied just as quietly, biting my bottom lip teasingly. Then I laughed and said louder, "The tree's not gonna chop itself, Weasley."

"Merlin's beard, you're such a tease!" he hissed, pushing the trolley to the nearest till.

"I'd only be a tease if I didn't plan on going back to your flat with you, silly," I grinned before dipping out to look at the bobbles.

I didn't actually see any of them, I was just trying to calm myself down. I was so hot and bothered it wasn't funny. The man could get under my skin easier than anyone I've ever met in my life. He could just look at me and say a few words and make me putty in his hands. I could only imagine what it would be like further down the line.

I felt a hand rest on my lower back and knew George had found me. He had his bag in one hand and slid his other into mine, leading me out of the shop. I Apparated us back to his flat so he could leave his things and I could transfigure something into an axe.

"Do you have anything long and cylindrical?" I asked as I walked around his front room. "Because I assume you don't have an axe on hand."

"Considering I don't know what an axe is…" he replied before he disappeared back down the hall and into a room.

I heard things shifting around for a couple minutes before I heard him coming back to me. He held an old broom with the bristles broken and crooked. It was obviously older and had been through the ringer a couple times.

"One of the practice brooms I may have _borrowed_ from Hogwarts during my time there," he explained, a mischievous light toughing his eyes. "Then I might have been flying backward and hit a tree…"

I snorted with laughter as I pictured him flying backward into a tree. "And people say you were a great beater…"

"Oh, so you're questioning my Quidditch abilities?" he asked, tossing the broom onto the couch as he approached me slowly. "I don't even remember seeing you at a game, 'puff."

"I've seen you play a couple games, it wasn't much," I teased, my lips tilting up into a playful smile. "Nothing like your brother once you left from what I heard."

He scoffed and reached forward, grabbing my hips and pulling me close until there was barely an inch between us. "So, what you're saying is I need to prove to you I'm better than Ron at everything?"

The pitch of his voice sent a shiver down my spine and the roughness of it made my stomach tighten. My hands were resting on his chest as I tried to keep myself from releasing a wanton whimper.

"I don't know. Can you?" I asked in a whisper, tracing my fingers along his collarbone just under the collar of his jumper.

A noise I've never heard came out of George: a growl from deep in his chest. He leaned forward and pressed our lips together, immediately demanding entrance to my mouth. I let him inside easily and basically melted into a puddle at his feet.

His hand moved up to cup the back of my head, his kisses leaving me weak and excited all at once. He shifted a bit and caught my bottom lip between his, sucking it into his mouth and scrapping his teeth over it gently. Without thinking, I clutched at his neck and let out the wanton whimper I'd been holding since the beginning.

His teeth bit down harsher at my sound and I arched my back to press us together completely. When we parted, I took the reins and pressed timid kisses from his jaw down the side of his neck. He moved his hands to rest low on my back, dangerously close to intimate parts. When I realized that, my kisses got harsher and caused wanton noises to leave his mouth that spurred me toward confidence.

My personality was never dominant, I was always the one to submit, but not this time. I pushed George's shoulders until he sat down on the couch just shy of the broken broom and I followed him down, sitting myself astride his lap. Without giving myself enough time to get embarrassed of my brass actions, I went back to kissing his neck.

I've never kissed Ron Weasley nor did I ever have plans to do so, but there was no way he was better than his older brother. George Weasley's kisses were absolutely lethal, and I hope he thought the same thing about mine. Judging by the noises coming out of his mouth and how tight his grip was on my bum was, he thought I was also pretty bloody good.

I didn't hear the door open, but I certainly heard the disgusted noise Ron made when he saw us together. I surprised myself when I didn't bolt off George's lap, I just pulled away from his neck in annoyance. George only moved his hands up to my hips, nothing else moved at the interruption.

"What do you want?" he asked, glaring at his younger brother around my body. "I'm busy."

"I didn't bloody know you two were up here! I was coming to grab some more Skiving Snackboxes," he replied, but I couldn't see his face because mine was resting against George's shoulder flushed with annoyance rather than shame.

"Well, go get them if they're so damn important!" George responded crabbily as rubbed his thumbs along my hipbones over my jumper.

Once Ron was out of the room, I lifted my head enough to whisper in his ear. "Don't be so upset, I was very impressed with your skillset this time."

As much as I wanted to keep going, I knew we needed to go get a tree before things went too far. I kissed George briefly before getting up from his lap and blushing when I realized just what state I'd left him in. It was obvious he was hard beneath his slacks; I guess I was better than I originally realized.

"I'll be back in a second," he said, standing up quickly and heading down the hallway.

I sat back on the couch and calmed my flaming cheeks. Ron reappeared a minute or so later with his arms full of things. He waved fleetingly at me before disappearing back downstairs into the shop, probably embarrassed of what he'd interrupted. Once I'd calmed down, I grabbed the broom and quickly transfigured it into an axe. By the time I was finished, George was back in the room with a red tinge to his cheeks and a kneazle-who-got-the-cream smile on his lips.

"You are a minx, Lydia Duke," he grinned, grabbing my jacket from the kitchen and holding it open for me. "We have to go before I take you back to the couch."

A giddiness filled my belly and I jumped to my feet. "If you say so."

* * *

I Apparated us to the forest my family and I always got our tree from after we left his flat. His hand found mine as he hefted the axe up against his shoulder. Even if he said he didn't remember the lesson from muggle studies, he was packing it like a professional.

"Just pick the tree you like the most," I told him, walking through the snow with him. "Then comes the chopping."

He rolled his eyes at me but did as I instructed, looking at each of the trees closely. We looked until the coldness of the snow started seeping into my toes and my fingers were numb. I was about to suggest another day when George found his tree.

"This is it, this is the tree," he told me, dragging me over to stand in front of a nice pine tree. "Now, how do I chop it down?"

That made me grin, he was actually going to do what I wanted. I took the axe from his hand and told him to watch closely. I'd done it a couple times before so I knew what I was doing. I hit the sharp edge against the trunk and heard the wood split. I did a couple swings before George's pesky masculinity stepped in and made him take the job from me.

By the time he got halfway through the trunk, he looked ready to throw in the towel. "You can just use magic now if you want. I know how hard it is to chop it down by hand."

It took a bit of bickering between us, but in the end he did use magic. He held onto the tree with one arm and my hand with the other as we Apparated back to his flat. Once we were back, he pulled me close and pressed his lips back against mine, but he was smiling so it couldn't get very deep plus the pine needles were brushing against my face uncomfortably.

"Mhm, what was that for?" I asked after he stepped back from me, leaned the tree against the wall, and started taking off his jacket. "Not that I'm complaining or anything, just curious."

"Just happy you went with me today, I suppose," he mused, pulling the stand out of a box I didn't notice and maneuvering the tree into it with a little magical help.

His admittance made warmth blossom in my belly and I couldn't stop the pleased grin from tugging at my lips, not that I wanted to. He said it so easily, like he didn't even have to think about it. He was genuinely happy I went with him to get his Christmas things, even if I had him partially cut down a tree the muggle way.

While he was hanging up our coats, I did a quick charm over the tree so it would stay fresh until the holiday was over. I'd taken off my boots earlier so I was wearing a pair of fuzzy socks with reindeers on them, a harsh contrast to George's maroon one when he came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. My, we were very touchy-feely tonight.

"Hello there," I whispered, leaning back into his embrace and placing my hands over his on my belly. "I should be getting back to the castle soon, it's getting late."

He made a noise to indicate he'd heard me but didn't release me or move back. Instead, he pushed my hair over my shoulder and pressed gentle kisses against my scarred skin. The more he went on, the weaker my knees got until only he was holding me upright.

"Mhm, I should've told you how I felt in school," he whispered, kissing my ear after he finished.

I hummed in agreement and ran my fingers up his arms where they still wrapped around my waist. "I probably wouldn't have believed you if you had."

He stiffened before twisting me around so we were looking at each other. "What's that supposed to mean?"

I sighed before replying, "We've already talked about this. You and I existed in separate worlds, I hardly think I would've caught your attention."

He rolled his eyes and cupped my face in both his hands. "I'm going to say this once more and then never again, so you'd better listen up, 'puff. You are one of the most amazing women I've ever met, I'm lucky to have you. If anything, I'm amazed I caught your attention and then you stayed after I told you about the dragon pox thing."

That made me laugh and stand on my tiptoes to kiss his lips. "Fair enough, Weasley."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! George and Lydia are bonding and telling secrets.**

 **Tell me what you all think about their relationship!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I kind of see Lydia as either Lucy Hale or Anna Popplewell, just thought I'd tell you. If you see her as anyone else, tell me because I'm curious.**

* * *

I left George's flat pretty late and used the Floo to go back to the castle. I packed my trunk before bed because I intended to leave for my parents' house tomorrow for the holiday. All my brothers and I spend the week of Christmas there, but I was heading a week or so earlier than the others. Like I mentioned before, there were five of us and we were all pretty close even with me being at Hogwarts sometimes.

When I went to strip down for my shower, I realized my sweater smelled like George. It made warmth fill me and my smile found its home on my lips. We'd only had three or so dates and I was already in so deep with him. Maybe it was because we shared such intimate parts of ourselves with each other so early…

I didn't change out of my pyjamas when I gathered my things to leave the next morning. I pulled my hair into a bun on top of my head and brushed my teeth before floating my trunk down to McGonagall's office to Floo home, beyond thankful she agreed to link the two of them for my convenience.

I wasn't wearing my robes so I scurried through the hallways quickly, sticking to the shadows. It was holiday break and the dress code wasn't strictly required, but it was still frowned upon to not be in your street clothes as a professor. It was still early in the day so there weren't any students, making my trek easier to the office.

"Professor Duke, are you leaving?" Professor McGonagall asked from behind her desk.

I sat my trunk down with my owl's cage on top of it before turning to face her. "Yes, I'm going to my parents' house for the holiday."

"Have fun and be safe," she said, flashing me a knowing smile as I maneuvered my things and myself into the fireplace.

McGonagall waved at me before I was sucked up into the Floo. My parents were amused with anything and everything magical, the Floo included. They heard the sound of it roaring to life and rushed into the room right as I landed. Persephone hooted happily at the familiarity of the house, knowing mum made her treats and spoiled her rotten.

"Poppet!" dad greeted, jolting up and rushing over to help me pull out my trunk. "I missed you so much!"

Once he let me go, mum hurried in and hugged me even tighter than dad. Persephone seemed to get agitated at being ignored and started making annoyed noises. Mum immediately let me go and hurried over to her, reaching into the cage and offering her finger before going to the kitchen. Of course the woman already made her treats, she might love that owl more than she loved all five of her kids and it wasn't even hers!

"Sometimes I think you love that owl more than your own kids, woman!" I shouted after her retreating back, only for her to laugh in return.

"I figured you and I could get started on hanging the some of the lights outside tonight," dad suggested, gesturing to the biscuits on the table beside the tea kettle. "Let's get the proper rations first, then head out. Sound like a plan?"

I nodded and slid off my slippers, curling up on the couch with a knit blanket. "I missed home, you barking out orders and mum spoiling my owl."

He grinned and came over to sit beside me, pouring me a cup of tea with honey just the way I liked. I dunked my biscuit inside and smiled when he mirrored my action, biting into the sweet right as I did. The two of us were in sync more times than not, something that annoyed my mother. She always said one of my father was too many, she didn't sign up for another one.

"I wasn't kidding about helping me decorate the house, poppet," he told me after we finished our snack.

Of course he wasn't.

* * *

It was a little after four when we finished hanging all the lights and putting up the decorations outside. My fingers were frozen and I couldn't feel my toes, but dad's wind burnt cheeks and happy smile made everything worth it. Plus I loved the way our house looked when it was decorated, greatly resembling a gingerbread house.

The second we walked back inside, the smell of mum's potato soup filled my nose. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I walked in and my stomach growled viciously. Dad laughed at the sound before directing me toward the kitchen after we stripped out of our layers, leaving our snowy boots at the door.

Mum was a primary school teacher and dad was a carpenter so we never really had much money growing up. Especially with five kids to feed, but they always put food on the table and a roof over our head. This house was as much a part of our family as any of my brothers or either of my parents.

"So, how's work been?" mum asked after we'd all sat down to eat together at the table.

"Oh, it's been wonderful as always. The students are brilliant and I'm sure they're going to do so well on their exams," I told her as I cooled down my soup with a spell and did the same to their bowls. "I even pulled a prank on them with a snow globe, making the classroom basically a blizzard."

"You pulled off a prank?" dad asked in surprise. "No offense, poppet, but you're not exactly the pranking type. That's more John's area…"

John was one of my younger brothers and dad wasn't kidding. Out of the five of us, I was the meekest of them all. Honestly, before I started teaching at Hogwarts, I never really spoke or did anything to make myself stand out. The only people I ever spoke to were in my friend circle, the circle that dropped me after the War.

So, I've kind of skirted around the topic of my friends from Hogwarts. I mentioned my bad experience with my ex-boyfriend, if you could even call him that, but I didn't really talk about my friends –or technically my friend. George mentioned my blonde friend when he was telling me all the things he liked about me the night we had dinner together in his flat, but I didn't tell him her name or about our relationship because it was too painful to talk about.

Her name was Kari Weathers and we used to be best friends. She and I shared a car together our very first trip to Hogwarts and every one after that. I kind of figured our kids would do the same later in life, but fate seemed to have a different idea.

We both came back to fight during the War and were fighting together most of the time. The reason I got the Fiendfyre curse on my back instead of other parts of my body was because the curse was aimed at her, but she ran off before it could hit her. The two of us were back to back so it hit me instead, and she never came to check on me or apologize or anything of the nature. I assumed she was still alive and living a life somewhere, I would just never be part of it.

It wasn't that I was ashamed of it or anything, I just didn't want people to see me as any more wounded than they already did. I mean, whose best friend just leaves them after they take a curse in their place?

"Stranger things have happened, father," I replied with a hopefully convincing smile.

I could tell by both my parents' faces, they picked up on my silence but weren't going to ask any questions. A thought harbored in the back of my mind that they were afraid I'd fall back into my depression if they weren't careful about the things they brought up around me. They never spoke of the War or Kari or anything from that time in my life unless I brought it up first, then they tread very lightly.

"I'm glad you're happy where you are, poppet," he said, going back to his soup after a couple seconds. "I'm also glad you're here to help your mother go shopping for presents tomorrow instead of me!"

He said that in a rush and it made me roll my eyes. Dad loved Christmas as much as me, but he hated shopping with mother for good reason. She became nearly impossible to be around when she was shopping, dead set on finding the perfect gifts for everyone. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, she just got intense and it was a lot to handle.

"Lydia loves me and deals with my insanity a lot better than you anyway," mum sassed playfully, her eyes twinkling as she looked at my dad.

They were so in love and I'd always loved hearing stories of their lives together. My favorite was hearing how they met, even if I'd heard it a million times. My brothers weren't interested in the slightest, but I couldn't get enough. It was easy to see how in love they were by looking at them, they just carried the love on their faces.

"I love you both," I told them randomly, interrupting their conversation about what to get for my oldest brother Sam.

The surprise on their faces turned into adoration quickly. "We love you, too. And we're glad you're home for the holidays. We miss you while you're away."

"I miss you guys, too, but I love it there," I told them, finishing off my soup. "It's what I needed after everything. It kind of healed me."

Hogwarts did heal me, and I've talked about it before. If I'd never gone to teach muggle studies, I don't think I would be around anymore. Not saying I would've killed myself or anything as crass as that, but I wasn't taking care of my body at all. And there's only so much the body can survive before it gives up.

"And we're so grateful for that," mum told me, taking my hand from across the table and giving it a comforting squeeze.

"So am I."

* * *

 **Like I said, I'd love to hear who you see Lydia as or her mum and dad. I'm a curious Ravenclaw by nature, after all.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I love the concept of domestic George Weasley so this chapter kind of came from that. Also, I feel like George and Lydia kind of move quickly in their relationship, but it's just how the story worked out. I wanted to show how easily it is to get close to someone who understands your pain.**

* * *

Mum woke me up the next morning at eight o'clock and I had to bite my tongue to keep in my complaints. Instead, I made my way to the bathroom and showered while mum made breakfast downstairs. It was just easier to go along with her when she was in holiday mode.

We got in her car and headed into muggle town after we ate, a place I hadn't been in way too long. It was always decorated to look like a village out of a Christmas movie. There was music playing all through the shopping village along with carolers standing outside in decade dress. I loved how over the top the entire country of England was whenever it came to Christmas.

"So, I need to get things for Sam, John, Alex, and your father," mum said as we parked the car and started walking through the village. "What about you?"

I got all my family's presents from Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley already, but I wondered if I was supposed to get something for George. Were the two of us technically boyfriend and girlfriend? And if we were, what was I supposed to get for him?

"Mum, can I ask you a question without you reading too much into it?" I asked as we went into a store together.

"You can ask me anything, love," she answered absentmindedly, not looking away from the list in her hand.

"If I've been seeing a guy for a week or so, do I need to get him a Christmas gift?" I asked in a rushed breath before bracing myself for her reaction.

"You've been seeing someone and didn't tell me?!" she shrieked, making a couple of people look over at us. "Lydia Elizabeth, what's his name? What does he look like? Is he good to you?"

"Mum, slow down. I asked you to not read too much into it," I hissed, grabbing her arm and pulling her further into the store so people would stop staring at us. "His name is George, he helped me plan the prank I mentioned at dinner the other night."

"George, sounds posh," she complimented, her shopping forgotten in lieu of my possible love interest. "How long exactly have the two of you been together?"

This was the embarrassing question. We'd been together for a little over a week and only hung out three or so times. How do you tell your mom about the deep connection you have with a boy you've only been seriously talking to for a week? Something told me she wouldn't think it was as sweet as I did when he told me about all the times he noticed me while we were in Hogwarts or about how much we bonded because of our war scars.

"Not that long, but I think we'll still be together on Christmas," I replied, being a vague as possible. "Am I supposed to get him something big or a small thing?"

"How well do you know George? Do you know the things he likes?" she asked, grabbing one of the books Sam asked for off the shelf and tossing it into the trolley.

"He owns a joke shop and loves making people laugh," I replied without thinking, an absentminded smile on my lips.

She said something in response, but a box on the shelf caught my eye. It was a magic kit for children, one a couple of my brothers had growing up. The thought of giving it to someone who had actual magic was hilarious; I thought George would also get a kick out of it so I grabbed one and put it in our trolley.

Mum just shook her head and went on with her shopping, realizing she would probably never make sense of the present purchase. Even if I explained it to her, I doubt she would find it as funny as I did. I just hoped George did.

…

Almost a week passed when a now familiar owl knocked on our kitchen window. I got up from my place at the table to let him in, recognizing George's messy scrawl as I removed the parcel from his claw.

 _Lydia,_

 _I'm going to go ahead and mention how much I miss you, even if I say it in every letter I send. It's been far too long since you've graced me with your presence, and I can only go so long without your pink cheeks and utter sexiness. I can only imagine how adorable you look right now after you read that._

 _I know you're probably bouncing off the walls because Christmas is drawing so near, which brings me to the other reason I'm writing. My parents have this annual dinner as the holiday draws nearer and it seems that I'm the only one without a date for said dinner. This may be a bit too soon or too forward, but I know you'll point it out if you agree so I'm going to go ahead and ask. Do you want to be my date?_

 _Just send a response via Boom like always. It's okay if you say no, I understand._

 _Awkwardly,_

 _George_

The awkward tone of the letter made me smile and clutch the parchment to my chest like a lovesick schoolgirl. He wanted me to come to a family dinner as his date, he wanted me to meet his family. It was good to know I wasn't the only one interested in this relationship.

The two of us have been together for almost a month now, but I don't think we were necessarily boyfriend and girlfriend just yet. We hadn't seen each other in person since we went shopping to decorate his flat. He wasn't the only one that missed seeing each other…

I got up from the table and grabbed a couple of Penelope's biscuits before going on the search for Boom in the empty house. Mum and dad were both at work so it was just me here alone. I heard twittering and found him being groomed by Penelope in my room. I guess I forgot to mention that our owls really adored each other, it was the sweetest thing.

I gave the biscuits to Boom and headed back into the kitchen to write a response to George. My parchment was sitting in the living room, but I'd forgot to pack a quill before I came home so I used a regular pen. It enthralled George to no end how perfect the ink looked and bonded with his father over it, but that was a secret between the two of us.

 _George,_

 _You're inviting me to meet your family already? I'm quite scandalized but appreciative of the compliments. I also miss you more than I probably should, Mr. Weasley. And not just because of your utter sexiness… but maybe because you're holey…_

 _I am bouncing off every surface I come in contact with and I'm pretty sure my parents are working extra hours to get away from me. My brothers will probably just make fun of me for it, but I can't seem to rein myself in when it comes to Christmas._

 _Back to the dinner invitation, I would love to go with you. I'm also quite fond of you being the awkward one for once, it's good to know I'm not the only one who can embarrass themselves._

 _Just give me a time and location, and I'll be there with bells on._

 _Adoringly so,_

 _Lydia_

I waited until Penelope and Boom were finished playing and he was rested up to send the response. I needed to pick the perfect outfit for this dinner, I really wanted to impress his family. I knew the ones from school, but that felt like a lifetime ago.

* * *

I was in the middle of icing the Christmas biscuits I made for mum's class the next day when I heard the Floo roar in the living room. My heart stopped beating entirely before galloping to life a second later. No one used that except for me…who was here?

I grabbed my wand from the table and crept around the wall between the kitchen and living room silently. With a disarming spell on the tip of my tongue, I swung around and nearly peed myself when I saw George Weasley standing in the middle of my house. I collapsed back against the wall in relief, my entire body getting tingly with the release of adrenaline.

"What's wrong, 'puff?" he asked, walking over to me and pulling my body to his chest easily. When he realized how upset I was, he pressed a kiss to my head and said, "Whoa, Lydia, I didn't mean to scare you. I can feel your heart."

I shook my head where it rested on my hands against his chest. "I'm just jumpy when it comes to magic in the muggle world. I don't really have any friends who have magic so no one ever uses the Floo aside from me unless it's an emergency."

Mentioning the War wasn't necessary, George understood what I meant when I said emergency. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to surprise you and talk about the dinner I feel like I hoodwinked you into."

That made me pull out of his embrace enough to look him in the eye. "Stop that right now, we both know I wouldn't agree to one thing I didn't want to do."

He grinned at my outburst and said, "There's my girl, I missed your spice."

"Speaking of spice, I was in the middle of making biscuits for my mum's students when you so rudely almost gave me a heart attack," I told him, moving out of his embrace and going back into the kitchen with him on my heels.

"You're decorating the biscuits by hand? Like, without magic?" he asked in surprise, looking at the one that was already decorated.

I gestured to the separate icing bags sitting on the counter. "Yes, it's so much fun. Come on, I'll show you how."

I watched as he tugged off his jumper, laying it across the back of one of the chairs at the table. He was wearing a normal muggle t-shirt that stretched across his broad chest and clung to his biceps. I hadn't realized quite how built he was until this moment and I was very appreciative.

"If you're finished checking me out, there are biscuits to decorate, 'puff," he grinned, making me flush and whirl around to grab a sweet to decorate.

He came up behind me, his heat soaking into me as he wrapped his arms around me. I swallowed down my nerves and took his hands in mine, showing him how to decorate the biscuit with the icing baggie. My hands didn't shake and I did a victory dance in my head, and felt my heart give a squeeze when I realized HIS hands were shaking under mine. I was making him nervous this time.

"Why so shaky, Georgie?" I asked in a hopefully seductive voice, stroking my pinky over his wrist and watching him grip the sweet too hard it broke in his hands. "Oh no, you ruined it. Now what are we going to do?"

He tossed the crumbs onto the cookie sheet and twisted me around, lifting me up onto a clean span of counter. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his mouth to mine, kissing him fiercely before he had the chance to take control of it. This was so much better than icing sweets.

His hands were trying to hold my hips, but my jumper was too baggy for him to get a grip. Instead of moving them someplace else, I felt him fiddling with the bottom hem of it. He was waiting for me to give him permission to slide his hands underneath and it would've been endearing if I wasn't turned on.

There was some scarring on my left side where his hands would no doubt wander, and they were worse than the ones he'd already seen on my arm. Even if he wouldn't be seeing it necessarily, it was still a big thing for me to expose them. They didn't feel like the rest of my skin and I'm sure he could tell the difference.

"You can touch me, just remember there are scars," I breathed out raggedly, leaning my forehead against his as I tried to catch my breath and calm down my nerves.

He let out a shaky breath and shook his head, "We've been over this, baby. You're so beautiful, it doesn't matter. I swear."

He'd never called me baby before, no one had ever called me baby before. The wild thought stripping off my jumper washed over me, but I squelched it down. Instead, I moved my hands from his hair and placed them over his as I slid them underneath the top because he seemed a bit timid to do it himself.

His fingers were light and gentle as they traced over the scars on my hip and side as his lips pressed against my neck. I linked my ankles together and placed them under his butt, pulling him closer and making him laugh ruggedly against my skin.

"I'm assuming you're George?" my mum's voice rang through the kitchen and made my head flop back down from where it rested against the cupboards.

Unfortunately, that meant it hit George's and his teeth pushed harder than he meant against my skin. I yelped and dropped my legs from his waist, reaching up to feel if there was any blood. Thankfully, he didn't break the skin, but I'm sure there would be a monster hickey there by morning.

"Uh, yeah, I'm George," he said, running a hand through his hair nervously as he took a step back from me and make it look like we hadn't just been caught making out in the kitchen. "It's nice to meet you."

He took my mother's outstretched hand with little embarrassment. "I'm Shelly, it's nice to meet you even if this wasn't the ideal way of doing so."

George nodded, but I saw how thrown off he was by us getting caught. Even if he was a goofball, he was still very polite whenever it came to elders. The last thing he wanted was my mum to think lowly of him. It was probably tearing him up inside that the first time they met had been under such inappropriate conditions.

I hopped off the counter and moved back over to the pile of biscuits. "How were the kids today? Are they excited for the party tomorrow?"

"They were practically bouncing off the walls after lunch," she replied, trying to defuse the situation. "So, George, have you ever decorated biscuits by hand before?"

"I can't say that I have," he replied, barely missing a beat. "But I would love to help."

He made his way back over to where I was standing except he was beside me instead of behind me this time. There was still tension between us, but mum had splashed water on our wildfire from earlier. Thankfully, by the time we'd decorated a couple we were playful and fun instead of desperate and needy like earlier.

"Look at that, maybe I'm a good teacher after all," I remarked, gesturing to one of the snowflakes George finished decorating. "You're as good with your hands as you are with your wand, I'm impressed."

He snorted and made me realize the sexual double meaning my words carried. The last thing I expected was for him to slap my ass cheekily with my mother in the room with us. I squeaked in surprise, looking around wildly in search of my mother.

"She left the room about ten minutes ago," he whispered, giving my butt a cheeky squeeze this time before going back to the snowman sitting in front of him. "And you look really sexy when you're concentrating, baby."

There was the pet name again and it did similar things to my insides, making me pour too many sprinkles onto my Christmas tree. He chuckled at my mistake, moving closer to me and kissing behind my ear teasingly before nipping at my earlobe and standing back up straight.

"Did you have a reason for visiting me or was the distance proving to be too much?" I asked playfully, bumping our hips after I calmed my heart back down from his teasing.

"I needed to tell you details about the dinner and used it as an excuse to come see you," he answered easily. "Kissing you was an added detail that made it even better."

"So, what details had to be shared face to face?" I asked, looking at him out of the corner of my eye.

He told me about the location and the time, but it just seemed overly complicated to get there. "Do you mind if I just stay with you the night before? I don't think I could get there if I tried, my Apparating is shabby at best."

There I went again asking things with sexual undertones without meaning to. Instead of making a remark about it, he turned to look at me fully. His shirt had green icing on the side from where I'd hit him with it earlier when he made fun of how I decorated one of my candy canes, but I was far from laughing. His eyes were serious, something I've rarely ever seen from him.

"Lydia, I don't want you to do something you're not comfortable with because you think it's what I want," he told me once our eyes met in the empty kitchen.

"George, I wouldn't have suggested it if I wasn't comfortable with the idea of spending the night with you. I didn't necessarily attach any sexual connotations to that, I just thought I'd have trouble finding your parents' house," I explained, suddenly finding the color of my toes pretty interesting.

"Hey, 'puff, look at me," he said quietly, tucking a finger under my chin and tilting my face up to look at him. "I like it when you're confident like that, I don't ever mean to make you second guess yourself. I would love for you to stay with me, even if it means I'm sleeping on the couch or the floor or even standing up if it's what you want."

I hugged his middle tight, grinning when I felt him hug me back just as tightly. "I like it when you call me baby."

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	9. Chapter 9

**I just seriously love Lydia's interactions with her students. I'm also particularly proud of Lydia's character in general, I think she's come a long way.**

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Dinner with the Weasleys was Friday night and my brothers were supposed to come to my parents' on Sunday. I was grateful they wouldn't be here when I left or when I came home, I know they'd never let me live it down. Even if I was a grown woman, I was spending the night with a man and they all would've had a field day.

I went to the shops the day before to find the perfect outfit. Finding clothes to cover my scars and still be pretty was a feat in itself, but I tried my best to stay positive. Once I'd finally found the perfect outfit, I went back to my house to pack for my night with George. I was in the middle of charming my dress to not get wrinkled when my nerves started to set in.

What if his family didn't like me? What if they thought I was too boring for their goofball son? I don't know how to make people like me, I was too soft-spoken for most peoples' taste. My shyness also ramped itself up whenever I was nervous, something I was positive I would be at this dinner. George had a huge family and I knew their opinion was important to him, I had to make them like me.

"So, are you sure this is what you want to do? Spending the night with someone is a big step," mum said, pushing into my room with me and glancing at the half-packed bag on my bed.

I flopped down on my back on my bed and let out a frustrated sigh. "I really care about George, mum, and this isn't a sex thing. I'm meeting his family for the first time, and I am freaking out."

"So, the two of you haven't had sex?" she asked evenly, sitting down by my hips on my bed.

I shook my head and pulled myself up into a sitting position across from her. "No, I'm too afraid to let him see my scars. I'm working on getting there and I'm getting more and more comfortable with him, it might happen tonight. I'm just worried his family isn't going to like me or he's going to see me and not like what he sees. I'm just freaking out, like I said."

"You are gorgeous inside and out, and I'm sure he sees that. I could tell by the way he looked at you when he was here the other day," she told me, a grin tugging at her lips. "When you weren't looking at him, he was watching every move you made. It was adorable; he's quite smitten."

Giddiness bubbled up in my belly and a huge smile pulled at my lips. "You're serious? He was really looking at me?"

She reached into the pocket of her cardigan and handed me a Polaroid. It was of me and George in the kitchen when the two of us were decorating cookies yesterday, or at least I was decorating them. He was looking at me like I was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, his eyes were bright and the smile on lips was the one he'd worn when he told me all the things he adored about me. The smile made warmth blossom in my stomach, too, and lick all the way through my body.

"Mum," I exclaimed, taking the picture from her to get a closer look. "I love this, I didn't even know you took it."

She just smiled happily at me before hugging me. "I want someone who sees how amazing you really are, and I think he's that person. You get nervous to be yourself like it's something to hide, but you don't do it when you're around him. You're happy, you're my little girl again. The one I thought I'd lost forever."

I hugged her back just as tight, thankful she was my mother. I was a very nervous person by nature, and I'd gotten past that stage with George. Now I had to get past it with his entire family, a feat that was easier said than done.

* * *

The next morning I cooked breakfast for mum and dad because I had too much nervous energy to sleep much more than a few hours. Dad didn't know about the sleepover yet, mum left it to me to break the news. I kind of hoped the breakfast buttered him up enough that he wouldn't be too upset. Even if I was grown, his opinion still meant a lot to me and he was reluctant to let me do things he thought would get me hurt.

"Dad, I'm going to be staying with George tonight," I told him once we'd all sat at the table, figuring I'd take the bull by the horns and go for it. "I know you haven't met him, but he's really wonderful and I care about him a lot."

I could tell he didn't like the idea very much, but he also knew I was twenty-four and could make my own decisions. I watched his expressions change as he came to terms with the idea, realizing I was grown. He also knew I wouldn't put myself in a dangerous situation, especially not after everything I'd been through. But I could still see the reluctance behind his eyes to let me put myself in a situation where I could get hurt, you know, normal father things.

"I trust you and know I raised you to be independent and take care of yourself. I'm not worried about you," he finally said. "Just know that we're here if you need us, don't forget."

Well, that went a lot better than expected. Now all I had to do was gather my courage enough to Apparate over to George's flat. It was going to be just like when we had dinner the other night, I was just going to be staying a little bit longer…and possibly sleeping in the same room.

Thinking that made my palms sweat so I wiped them on my leggings before going back to my breakfast. By the time I finished eating, I hurried back up to my room to gather the things I needed for tonight.

Mum knocked on the door before stepping inside, fully decked out for the holiday festivities with her students. "I'm heading out, lovey. Thanks for making the biscuits and decorating them, I really appreciate it. Also, be careful if you do decided to have sex with George. I don't think you're ready to be a mum yet."

I know my face was flaming red when she started laughing and disappeared down the hallway again. Once my face calmed back down, I tossed my makeup bag and perfume into my overnight bag. With my jacket and scarf tucked over the side of the bag, I Apparated to George's flat.

It was empty, but he'd left the lights on like he promised. He was downstairs working the Christmas rush and told me to come find him when I got here. After freaking out a couple seconds, I decided to leave my bag in the living room. The last thing I wanted was to put it in his room and overstep my boundaries.

I scurried down the stairs and heard the familiar sound of children laughing. Then I heard the Christmas bells and wizard Christmas carols playing in the shop as I got closer. When I walked inside from the back entrance, I saw that the place was packed with excited children and their parents. I didn't take very long to find George, he was in the middle of everything laughing with a group of kids.

"Hello, Professor Duke!" Lyra Cornwall greeted, gesturing for her younger brother Alfie to go ahead and look around. "How've your holiday been so far?"

"Wonderful, and yours?" I asked, smiling at her affectionately. "How are things between you and Levi?"

Her smile faltered and I realized I hit a nerve. "We talked about healer academy and Auror training and it turned into a fight. The two of us have been together two years and I've never realized how much I always put him first, but I did during last week. It was okay for him to go, but I had to stay and wait around for him because what I wanted wasn't as important as what he wanted."

"I hate that things came to that," I consoled, giving her shoulder a soothing squeeze. "Did you work it out?"

"No, I broke up with him. I can't be with someone who isn't supportive of my dreams, Professor Duke, there are plenty of boys out there," she told me, trying her best to smile genuinely. Then she looked over my shoulder and said, "Hello, George! Thank you for helping Alfie figure out those snapping things, I was going to go mad if I had to hear him complain about them one more time."

"It was no problem, I love helping the future generations keep the staff of Hogwarts on their toes," George grinned, tossing his arm around my shoulders playfully. "Professor Duke here even took a page out of my handbook last term."

"I know, the indoor blizzard was the talk of the Hogwarts' Express," she grinned, eyeing George's arm in curiosity but asking no questions.

I grinned and replied, "I've never been much of a prankster, that's more my brother's speed. I just remember how stressful exams are, so I decided to lighten the mood a bit. I'm glad everyone enjoyed it as much as me."

"Can I tell you something, professor?" she asked, her mood changing to serious. When I nodded, she said, "You were my favorite teacher. I've always been so inspired by you and everything you've accomplished. I don't want to make things weird or anything, I've just always thought it and figured now was the time to tell you considering I'll never have your class again."

Tears sprung to my eyes at her compliments. No one had ever told me I was their favorite teacher before, I had no idea I had such an effect on them. Especially not enough to be an inspiration.

"Thank you so much, Lyra. I don't think anyone's ever said that to me before," I finally said once I swallowed the lump of emotions in my throat.

I slipped out from under George's arm and hugged her. The tension in her shoulders melted away and I heard her let out a sigh. She must be going through more than Levi being selfish, but I didn't want to ask her about it with George and all the others around us.

"Lyra, I'm going to give you my address and I want you to write to me," I told her once we stepped back from each other. "About anything."

She immediately picked up on what I was hinting at and I saw relief flash in her eyes. Whatever was bothering her must have been pretty serious.

After I wrote my address on a slip of parchment George pulled from his robes' pocket, Lyra left to find her brother in the busy shop. I hoped whatever she was going through wasn't really serious, she was so excited about her future.

"That was nice of you, 'puff," George quipped, leading me back to his office and away from the ruckus outside. "Kindness look sexy on you."

His awkward attempt to flirt with me made me laugh. "What happened to the smooth guy all the girls raved about in school?"

I watched his cheeks dust pink and reached up to cup them in my hands, rubbing my thumbs over his cheekbones until they returned to normal. His hands reached out and gripped my hips, leaning down to connect our lips. I kept my hold on his face as he pulled my body closer to his.

The kiss wasn't fast or passionate, it was more like a greeting. Even if we'd been together two days ago, it was like the two of us were desperate for each other. Even if we'd only been together for a month, it felt much more like we'd been together for years. I'd always heard my mum say it felt like that when she and dad started dating, but I'd always thought she was being dramatic.

When we broke apart, I slid my hands to the back of his neck and slid my fingers into his hair. I twisted it absentmindedly as I gazed up at him cheesily. He had moved his hands under my top and was rubbing his own thumbs over my bare hipbone.

"I'm really glad you broke that snow globe," he whispered, resting his forehead against mine and holding my eyes.

My smile was small but my happiness was brimming over. "Me too."

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	10. Chapter 10

**This chapter has even more relationship development between George and Lydia. It's just a sweet little piece of fluff, but I really enjoyed it.**

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Eventually, we went back into the shop and George easily fell back into his niche. He easily belonged in the middle of the crazy store. His smile was blinding when a younger boy ate a sweet and immediately started puking into the trashcan by the display. I guess I would've been too if I'd created all these things that brought people so much joy.

I remember looking out the window of my flat in Diagon Alley when I still worked at the Ministry. It was bleary and sad everywhere until you saw the bright building with the laughing Weasley at the top. Just leave it to him to always be this bright, shining light in the darkness. I think that might have been one of my very favorite things about him, something I didn't realize I needed until he came into my life.

"You're Lydia, right?" a voice asked from behind me, making me jump and turn to find Ginny Weasley standing there. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay, I was distracted," I told her, leaving out that her brother was the one distracting me. "Yes, I'm Lydia."

She smiled in satisfaction and said, "Good, I was hoping to meet you before George brought you to dinner. The whole family is quite curious about you, George has never been one to be stuck on one girl."

I didn't know how to respond to that. I knew George had a bit of a track record when it came to girls but hearing his sister say it was a completely different thing. My ever growing insecurities started to well up, and I tried desperately to keep it from showing on my face. Something told me showing weaknesses weren't a good idea.

"Well, I'm curious about you all, too," I finally said for lack of a better statement.

She nodded and looked down her straight nose at me. I think she was trying her best to intimidate me and it was working. She was scrutinizing every inch of me, sizing me up to see if I was worthy of her brother. Without thinking, I tugged down the bottom of my top and pulled the collar up closer to my neck. That last thing I needed was for her to find the biggest chink in my armor: my scars.

"I see you've met my charming little sister," George said, swooping in out of nowhere and placing his hand on my lower back. "And that she's met my even more charming girlfriend."

Girlfriend? Is that what he called me in his head? Did he think we were boyfriend and girlfriend? That was one of my biggest questions throughout this entire relationship. I never knew what to call him out loud to other people.

While I was having my internal freak out, Ginny's serious expression dissolved into a happy smile. "I'm happy you're happy."

She walked away from us and straight out of the shop, making me realize most of the people were gone as well. The only people still here were me, George, and Verity who was behind the counter counting out the money and placing it in a bag. I guess I was too distracted by Ginny's third degree.

"I'm going to go lock the doors and see Verity out if you want to head upstairs," he told me, moving close to me and pressing a kiss to my forehead.

"Anything you say, boyfriend," I grinned, figuring I'd take the humorous route instead of being too serious.

"You caught that, did you?" he asked, wincing when he turned around to look at me. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable or anything. I just wanted to get Ginny off your back, I could see how anxious you were."

"No, it's okay. I'm thankful you were there," I told him, reaching out to take his hand in both of mine. "I want to be your girlfriend."

His grin was blinding when I told him that and his hand in both of mine pulled me close. He hugged me tight and kissed my temple repeatedly until I started giggling like crazy. I blew a raspberry against his throat and heard him laugh along with me.

"Go close your shop, I'll be waiting for you upstairs," I told him, pulling away reluctantly.

I got my pajamas out of my duffle bag and headed to his bathroom to change once I got back to his flat. I washed my face clean of makeup and twisted my hair up onto my head before I went back outside. There was a roaring fire in the living room and the place looked comfy and inviting.

George came out of the kitchen and smiled when he saw me standing awkwardly by the sofa. He made his way over to me and twisted a lock of hair that had escaped from my bun around his finger playfully. Then he tugged on it and made me huff, hitting his shoulder.

"It isn't very nice to pull my hair," I told him, reaching up and tracing fingers along the side of his neck lightly.

"God, you're gorgeous," he told me in a rush of breath, seemingly forgetting about all our banter. "Merlin, so beautiful."

I stretched up on my tiptoes and pressed our lips together. He took my waist in his hands and pulled me until every inch of our bodies were touching. Then I pushed him backwards until he fell onto the sofa, looking up at me with surprised eyes. Before I could talk myself out of it, I reached down and pulled my t-shirt over my head and straddled his lap.

"Lydia, you don't have to do that. That's not why I called you my girlfriend," he told me, his eyes not leaving my face. "I really care about you."

I took a calming breath and said, "I am doing this because I trust you. I've never shown anyone other than my healer what I look like, but I want to show you."

"I don't know what to say to that other than I'm honored," he told me, his hands reaching up to hold my wrists and his thumb stroked over the side of them.

"Then kiss me," I grinned, leaning forward to meet him halfway.

One of his hands held my hip while the other slid up my bare back to steady me. He trailed his lips from mine down my face and to the side of my neck. He was getting closer and closer to my scars, but I refused to worry about it. George wasn't going to judge me for them, he was going to think I was just as beautiful and I was sure of that.

I laced my fingers in his hair and tugged on it when his tongue traced over my collarbone. He spread kisses all over my bare skin that made me weak. He traced his tongue along the line of scars on the front of my shoulder and I tightened my grip on his hair without thinking as I arched into him.

"George," I gasped.

He groaned against my skin as one of his hands moved down to grip my bum. I could feel the heat coming from him through the thin material of my pyjama bottoms. I could also feel just how big his hand was, covering almost all of my butt cheek.

I braved up and moved down to the hem of his shirt, sliding my hands under it to rest on his stomach. He got the hint and reached behind his head to grab the collar, removing his lips from my skin just long enough to pull the shirt off before diving back in.

He moved his kisses down my cleavage and sucked a mark into the side of my left breast exposed by the lace of my bra. I tilted my head back and ran my fingers through his hair, clenching and unclenching my thighs around his hips as pleasure coursed through me. I used my hand in his hair to pull his face up to mine.

"My turn," I grinned, my voice husky.

"Fuck," he hissed as I kissed from his jawline down to his neck. "You're going to kill me, baby."

That name echoed through my whole body and made me kiss harsher than before. I bit and sucked, leaving a mark of my own where his shoulder met his neck. He always wore dress shirts and ties so I knew it wouldn't be seen by anyone other than me. Both of his hands were holding my bum now, encouraging me to keep kissing his skin.

"Lydia," he breathing, moving his hands up to rest on my waist and pulling back until we looked at each other. "We need to slow down."

Rejection coursed through me and I pulled back from him, pushing my bra strap back into place before crossing my arms over my stomach. I felt my bottom lip start shaking as tears clouded my eyes. I didn't have my hair to hide behind so I just looked down at the pattern of the sofa instead of his face.

"Hey, look at me," he whispered, taking my jaw in his hands and tilting my head up until I looked at him. "I want to do this, Merlin, I want to do this. I just don't want to push you into something too fast."

"I trust you more than I've ever trusted any man. I want to do this," I promised, my voice still rough but with emotion this time. "If you don't want me, it's okay. You're allowed to back out, I know the scars are a lot."

"Lydia Duke, how many times do I have to tell you that your scars are beautiful before you start believing it?" he asked, rubbing his thumbs over my cheekbones.

I just shook my head and moved forward until my head was resting on his shoulder with my forehead against his neck. I wrapped my arms around his middle and let out a contented sigh, kissing his throat. He held onto me as he leaned back against the sofa.

"Do you want to sleep in my bed? I'll sleep out here," he asked a little later as we cuddled up together on his sofa.

I shook my head but didn't move out of his grip. "No, I don't want to take your bed from you. I can sleep out here."

"That's not even an option, 'puff," he said, rubbing his hands along my spine lightly. "You're not sleeping on this awful sofa."

"Then I suppose the only option is for us both to sleep in your bed," I said, thankful he couldn't see how embarrassed I was.

"I suppose that's the only option left, isn't it?" he replied, a playful lilt to his voice that made me grin. "I can also feel how hot your face is, even if I can't see it."

I pinched the skin of his chest between my teeth and heard him hiss in pain. "You love it when I blush."

"I also love it when you bite me," he replied, kissing my head before sitting up with me astride his hips. "We should head to bed, mum's expecting us at around eleven tomorrow."

"That's rather early for dinner, isn't it?" I asked, allowing him to pull my shirt back on me before doing the same to himself.

"Mum makes an entire day out of it. We also exchange gifts," he replied, standing up and letting my feet slide to the ground. "It'll be a lot of stuff, but it's usually pretty fun. Just tell me if you get overwhelmed by any of it."

We headed back to his bedroom and I noticed there was only one closed door down the entire hallway. Fred's room, I realized. That kind of broke my heart and made me reach out for his hand, sliding my fingers between his and placing my other one on top of it.

If he picked up on me being weird, he didn't say anything. Since we'd been together, I don't think he'd ever once talked about losing him. Sure, he'd told me about things the two of them did together and then there was the whole portrait thing from the day of the prank but nothing about his feelings. It wasn't necessarily my place to ask about him, I just hoped he felt comfortable enough to me to bring it up one day.

We walked into the room and he gestured for me to get on the bed. "I have to warn you, I'm a total duvet hog."

He grinned at me over his shoulder as he tugged his shirt back off. When he saw me raise my eyebrows, he said, "I don't sleep in a shirt. Is that a problem?"

I shook my head and moved to pull the covers down invitingly. He got into bed with me after he turned the lights off, then pulled my body back against his chest and rested his arm across my hip before pressing a kiss to the back of my neck. Once I calmed my down my racing heart, I fell asleep pretty easily.

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 **Thanks so much for reading! I really appreciate you all so much!**


	11. Chapter 11

**This chapter has a bit of content, but it is so sweet! It's nothing explicit or anything of the nature, but I thought I'd give you a heads up.**

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I woke up the next morning to sunlight streaming in through the window. When I opened my eyes, I saw George looking down at me already with a soft smile on his lips. I'd maneuvered myself around sometime during the night and was now laying against his chest instead of him spooning me.

When he realized I was awake, he leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Good morning, did you know you drool in your sleep?"

I slapped his chest and moved to get out of bed, only for him to grab my waist and pull me back to him. "You can't tell a girl she drools and then pull her back into your bed! That's not how this works, sir!"

"You're cute when you're angry," he smiled, leaning down and lining his lips up with mine. "Now kiss me with your morning breath."

I hit his chest again but let him kiss me, sliding my fingers back to knot in his hair. He flipped me over onto my back and laid across my torso, keeping his weight on his forearms. If he had morning breath or if mine bothered him, I couldn't tell with how ferocious the kiss was. It went from sweet and funny to intense in a matter of milliseconds.

He'd been dominant long enough, it was my turn to take control. I rolled him over and straddled his hips, pinning his hands up by his head. He looked up at me with surprised eyes before they clouded over with lust and he craned his neck up to reconnect our lips. I slid my hands into his and he linked our fingers together, kissing me back with as much animosity as I was dishing out to him.

He pulled his mouth from mine to catch his breath so I kissed my way down his jaw to his neck. There was already a hickey there from last night, but I wanted to leave more. He was already shirtless so his chest was free for me to mark up. I moved my hands from his to rub my hands along his skin as I sucked along his collarbone.

"Someone woke up frisky this morning," he groaned, his voice rough and making sparks fly around in my belly. "God, love, you're going to kill me."

I laughed darkly before digging my nails into his side and looking up at him. "I can stop if you like, baby."

He growled and gripped my hips, keeping me pressed against him. "Don't you dare."

I strained back up and reconnected our lips, feeling his hips press up against mine. I could feel how much he was enjoying this, it was just easier to hide on my side. I lifted up enough to pull my shirt off and my bra, not giving myself enough time to talk myself out of it, before going back down to kiss him.

While we were kissing and our hips were moving against each other, I grabbed his hand and moved it up to cup my breast. His kiss paused and he seemed to force his mouth away from mine. His eyes were big, asking me if I was sure this was what I wanted, and I nodded so vigorously my hair whipped against my cheeks.

"I want this, I want you," I promised, reaching up and pulling the elastic out of what was left of my bun. "Do you want me?"

"That's not ever a question you need to ask me, 'puff," he replied. "We have about two hours until we need to get ready. Are you sure?"

Instead of answering with words, I reached underneath me and gripped him through his pants as I kissed him. That seemed to be answer enough for him.

* * *

We were lying together about two hours later, just looking at each other goofily. His fingers were stroking over my back as I laid on my belly. He kissed my forehead sweetly and groaned when he looked over at the clock on the wall. I knew why, but I refused to look away from him and be anywhere but in this moment.

"We have to get up, love," he whispered, twisting my hair around his fingers. "I still have to shower."

I grinned and moved my arms onto his chest, placing my chin on them to hold his eyes. "I also have to shower."

He got out of bed and gestured for me to get up, too. Once I was standing, he chucked me over his shoulder and ran to the bathroom, my laugh followed us down the hall. He sat me back on my feet to set the water and I wrapped my arms around his middle, kissing between his shoulder blades affectionately.

I've never showered with another person before and always thought it would be awkward, but that was the furthest thing from true. The feeling of George massaging shampoo onto my hair and rubbing his hands over me was soothing. I also really liked touching him in general so it was a win-win.

By the time we got out, we had a little less than an hour to get ready and Apparate to his parents' house. I was doing my makeup as he tried to tame his hair and cover the marks I left on his skin. I rolled my eyes and used my wand to cover them up with a charm before doing the same to mine.

"You're a little minx," he grinned, wrapping his arms around my waist and placing his chin on my shoulder. "A beautiful, beautiful little minx."

My face flushed at his words and he nipped at the shell of my ear playfully before stepping back to allow me to finish my makeup. I was in the middle of curling my hair when he came back into the bathroom with khakis and a sweater with a big G on the front. If it wasn't for the scruffy face he would look exactly like he did in school, and it made me smile.

"You're so handsome," I said after I did a setting charm on my makeup and turned to face him instead of looking at him through the mirror. "You've always been handsome, I just get to tell you now."

His cheeks flushed when I said that and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I don't know about that…"

I hopped up onto the counter and draped my arms over his shoulders. "Well, I guess it's good that you have me then, isn't it?"

I was just wearing my knickers and one of his flannel shirts with the top few buttons undone. I didn't feel the need to hide any of my skin from him at all anymore. It was the most freeing thing I've ever experienced. No one had ever seen me total bare since the war and being that way with George was second nature already.

"Thank you," I whispered, running my fingers through the ends of his hair. When he raised his brows, I explained, "I was always so worried about someone seeing me naked and running away before of my scars. I never thought I could be this close to a person before the war, and I thought it even more after it. Thank you for making me see myself as something to be loved instead of something to be hidden."

His smile was brilliant and he leaned forward to lay his forehead against mine. "Thank you for helping me get over Fred. I never thought I'd be able to be happy without him, but you're showing me it's possible. It doesn't mean I have to forget him, I can just remember all the good times and get through all the hurt."

I closed my eyes and basked in the moment happening between us. It was pure warmth and happiness that I felt from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. I felt like it was shining out of my fingertips and lighting up the entire room. This is what relationships were supposed to feel like, not the way the boy from my sixth made me feel.

"We now have thirty minutes until we're supposed to be at my parents'," he whispered without pulling away from me.

Eventually, he kissed my nose and left me to finish getting ready. I curled my hair quickly and did a setting charm on it before I pulled on my tights and dress. George was in the kitchen eating when I came in, hopping as I put on my booties.

He whistled through a mouthful of biscuits, spewing crumbs everywhere. He at least swallowed before he said, "You look amazing."

"Are you seriously eating right now?" I asked, grinning at his compliment despite my lecturing tone. "We're going to your family's house where your mum no doubt made a wonderful meal."

"Before that, I have something for you," he said, disappearing into the living room and coming back with a bag. "I saw this and thought of you the other day in Diagon Alley."

"I also have something for you. Hang on a second," I replied, going to his room to get the wrapped parcel for him. "I saw this and got a kick out of it, I hope you do, too."

He gestured for me to open mine as he stood holding his. I pulled the tissue paper out of the bag like a child and saw a book inside. When I pulled it out, I couldn't stop smiling even if I tried. It was a copy of The Brother's Grim, the book I was reading the one and only time he ever tried to talk to me at Hogwarts and it ended in minor disaster.

"I figured it was about time that I replaced it," he grinned sheepishly. "Since I left your last copy pretty waterlogged."

We were in the beginning months of our seventh year and I was reading in the library. He came up and sat across from me, talking about a new treat he and his brother were working on. Why he chose me to talk to, I didn't understand at the time, but I wasn't interested in the slightest. He then proceeded to show me how it worked and soaked all the parchment and books sitting on the table. Even using tergeo on the book did nothing to cleanse its pages.

"I cannot believe you remember what book I was reading from all those years ago," I said, looking up at him with big eyes. "You're kind of bloody amazing, George Fabian Weasley."

I don't think his face has had time to cool down since we woke up this morning, or at least since we got out of the shower. "I told you already, I remember pretty much everything about you, 'puff."

"Mine isn't nearly as heartfelt," I admitted. "You should open it anyway, I want to see your face."

He sat the parcel down on the counter and started tearing the paper off. His eyebrows were knitted together for a couple seconds before he realized what he was looking at and started laughing. He looked at me with eyes filled to the brim with happiness.

"This is brilliant, Lydia! Fred and I always used to want these when we were kids," he told me, his eyes flashing back down to the box immediately.

I sat my book on the counter and pulled the box out of his, standing on my tiptoes so I could kiss him. His hands slid down to grip my bum, making me gasp into his mouth and tug on his hair. He lifted me up and onto the kitchen counter in front of him, kissing down my neck and making me squeal in delight.

* * *

"The first time I meet your parents, and I'm all rumpled from shagging in the kitchen. And we're about an hour late," I huffed, placing my hand in the bend of his arm as he prepared to Apparate us.

That made him chuckle as he turned to look at me, fixing my ruffled hair and smudged eyeliner. "You look gorgeous. And you're welcome for the happy glow, by the way."

I rolled my eyes and held on tight as he took us to his childhood home where his family awaited our arrival. I tried to calm myself down, but the tugging in my stomach did little to help. I needed this to go well, I was in way too deep with George to walk away now.

* * *

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	12. Chapter 12

**I got to add the Weasley to the story! I'm so happy because they're my favorite characters in the entire book! I hope I did them justice.**

* * *

The house was crooked and looked like it was about to fall down at any second, but George looked at it with such admiration I couldn't see it as anything other than perfect. His fingers slid between mine as he led the way inside, immersing me into his own bubble of pure happiness. It was warm and full of mouthwatering smells and the buzz of conversation with occasional chuckles, the way a home was supposed to sound. Then I heard squeals as a tiny blonde girl rushed into the room with an older turquoise haired boy chasing after her. She jumped into George's arms and stuck her tongue out at the boy because she was just out of his reach sitting on George's hip.

"Teddy keeps pulling my hair, Uncle Georgie. Make him quit it," she begged, holding his shoulder tightly in her hands.

"Are you Uncle Georgie's girlfriend?" Teddy asked, looking up at me with big brown eyes.

Oh my god, he was Lupin and Tonks' kid. Those eyes were unmistakable, I'd looked into them my fifth year when my boggart made me go into panic attacks. Without thinking, I dropped to my knees to be his height and smiled.

"Hi, I'm Lydia. It's nice to meet you," I told him, my eyes burning as I remembered his father.

He stepped forward and hugged me around the neck. My nerves melted away for a second as comfort filled me. I always worried in the back of my mind about how his life would turn out, but it looked like things were going just fine for him.

Once Teddy stopped hugging me, he grabbed my hand and led me into the house, scarcely giving me enough time to get to my feet. I turned to look at George, but saw that he was deep in conversation with the little girl. It seemed I was in Teddy's hands now, but he seemed more than capable of showing me around.

"Guys, this is Uncle Georgie's girlfriend, Lydia," he announced to the kitchen full of people. "I like her, she smells like peppermint and chocolate."

The room was silent for a beat before a plump woman rushed over, wiping her hands on her apron before tittering, "Come in, come in! I'm George's mum, it's so nice to finally meet you! You look like you're starving!"

Teddy dropped my hand long enough for Molly to hug me before snatching it back. It seems I've made a least one friend already. I felt the familiar pressure of George's hand on my lower back and heard a giggle.

"I'm Vic and you're pretty," the little blonde girl in his arms told me. "But Teddy's my boyfriend."

I laughed without thinking and heard the others echo it. "That's okay. I understand."

She wiggled out of George's arms and took Teddy's hand in hers, pulling him outside with her. Soon after, George started introducing me to everyone and I knew I wouldn't remember all their names. The ones I went to Hogwarts with were easy, but his older siblings and their wives were going to be hard.

"Lydia, it's wonderful to see you again!" Hermione said after everyone went back to their business. "This must be so overwhelming for you, being tossed into the mix. I remember how much I struggled to get used to it when I first started coming to the Burrow."

"I have a big family, so it's not the bodies. I just worry about remember all their names and them liking me," I told her honestly, glancing over at George where he stood talking with his brothers.

"The two of you seem happy together," she told me.

My grin was automatic when she mentioned it. "I'm really happy. I just hope you're right about them liking me, I know how important everyone in this house is to him."

"So, you're the one that's got George all pink cheeked and smiley," the brother with the long hair, Bill I think, said as he came over with George in tow. "I didn't even know it was possible."

"Trust me, I didn't know he could blush either," I admitted, making Bill laugh and George scoff. "So, what's it like being a curse breaker? It sounds dangerous."

"It can't be any more dangerous than being a professor at Hogwarts," he retorted, making me grin.

"Oh no, it's quite safe now that Harry doesn't go there," I joked, making Harry shout in disdain from the living room.

"It's not my fault danger followed me!" he shouted, leaning over the couch to look at us. "It was also me who beat the danger! Don't forget that!"

"Yes, and you did it all by yourself, didn't you?" Ron shouted from outside one of the kitchen windows. "None of us had a wand in that fight."

"Would the lot of you stop shouting? You weren't raised by trolls," Molly reprimanded while she stirred a pot on the stove.

"That's not true, mum. There was a troll in our attic for a while," Percy said, making Molly sigh and pinch the bridge of her nose.

"Don't be so tense, love, all our kids are under one roof," Arthur said, coming up behind her and rubbing her shoulders. "And they all have their own wonderful families with them. It's a good day."

George's family reminded me of mine. They were all happy and there was never a boring moment between them. The two of us were currently sitting together in a chair listening to Harry recount a hilarious story of Ginny trying to make spaghetti and nearly burning their flat down. The love within the house was nearly a part of the family its presence was so strong.

"It's not my fault! I didn't know muggle stoves had to be watched!" she tried to argue, but her laughter made it nearly impossible. "Oh hush, the lot of you! I now use spells to cook and haven't had an incident since."

"Mum, you would be proud. Lydia taught me how to decorate biscuits the muggle way," George bragged as his mother came into the room with us.

"She's done more than I could for the seventeen years he lived here," she smiled good-naturedly. "I like her already."

"Do you need any help, Mrs. Weasley?" I asked, standing up from under George's arm and moving over to her.

"You can help me wash the potatoes, if you'd like, dear," she told me, turning with a swirl of her skirts and gesturing for me to follow. "It takes a lot of love to feed an army like I've got, but it's a labor I adore."

"My mother says the same thing when she cooks holiday meals. I have four brothers," I told her as I used a scrubbing spell to clean the potatoes before floating them over to the pot.

"Ah, so you're from a big family as well?" she asked. "That's good, we can be a bit overwhelming if you're not used to it."

"I've felt nothing but comfortable since I walked in. You're all so welcoming," I told her honestly.

"It's the least we could do after all you've done for George. You really pulled him out of a dark place," she told me, pitching her voice lower so only I could hear. "He had almost every fooled, but I know my son. He might not have been at rock bottom, but he wasn't the old George anymore. I see glimpses of him when you're together and I'm so happy."

Her confession made a huge weight lift from my shoulders. Teddy got rid of most of my worries early in the day, but there was still a little left. Knowing that Mrs. Weasley approved of us was the last pin in the quilt. Things were going to be okay, George and I were going to be fine together.

* * *

By the time we got back to his flat, I swore I'd gained about five stone. "You're mum is an amazing cook! I can't believe I ate so much."

He tugged his sweater over his head and tossed it onto the couch before wrapping me up in his arm. "I tried to tell you. There was no way that woman would let you live without eating at least two plates."

I laid my head against his chest and hummed in contentment. "I didn't muck up their names once, I'm proud of myself."

"And they all loved you, more than me I think," he said into my hair. "Do you have to go so soon?"

"My parents are expecting me back to get ready for my brothers. They're coming Sunday to spend the week with them," I replied, not moving out of his grip. "I wish I could stay, but I promised I'd help."

I stepped back from his embrace and saw him jut out his bottom lip like a petulant child, so I said, "Don't pout, it's not very becoming of you. It kind of wrecks that whole handsome thing I was talking about earlier."

"So insufferable," he teased, helping me gather my things from his bedroom. "So, when do I get to see you again?"

"Oh, you didn't know? This was a onetime thing," I said, looking at him with a serious expression.

"You've already broken that, we've had sex WAY more than once," he teased, making me flush and break eye contact with him. "Wait, I thought you said you weren't a virgin?"

I sighed in frustration, I should've known this topic would come up eventually. "I did talk about how I haven't had sex since the war, but I've only had sex once. It was a total disaster and the guy kind of broke my heart afterwards. I suppose the topic of sex just makes me a bit uncomfortable. I have very strong feelings for you and really don't want to lose you after what we did."

I was standing to the side with my bag in my hands when he came over. He took the bag from my hands gently and tossed it onto the bed, pulling me back against his chest with his arms around my waist. He kissed the crown of my head repeatedly until I giggled and turned to face him. Then I slid my hands under the back of his t-shirt to rest on the bare skin of his back as my forehead rested against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry he did that to you," he whispered into my hair. "I swear it won't be like that with us, I care far too much about you to walk away."

The tightness in my belly lessened at his confession and I kissed his shoulder. "Thank you for being so amazing."

Eventually, I Apparated back to my parents' house after we had yet another intense make out session against the wall. My parents were sitting in the living room and they smiled at me when they saw me appear in the kitchen. I hoped like hell none of my hickeys were visible as I waked into the room with them.

"How was meeting the parents?" mum asked as she went back to wrapping the gift on the floor in front of her.

"Speaking of meeting the parents, I still need to meet this boy," dad said, closing the book he was reading and look at me from over his glasses. "Your mum has met him and approves, but I still need to. My opinion is very important, don't ya know?"

"It's only fair that you bring him to dinner when all your brothers are here," mum added. "You met his family, he needs to meet yours."

I knew it wasn't debatable, I had to invite George to dinner once all my brothers were here. I was nervous, what if one of them said something offensive or stupid or offensive and stupid?

"Stop overthinking everything and send him a letter," dad told me, winking before going back to his book.

I swore colorfully in my head but smiled at them before turning on my heel to go upstairs. I stripped out of my clothes and hopped in the shower, taking in the marks and bruises left on my body from this morning. It was weird to think we'd only had sex this morning, it felt like we'd been doing it forever. Things might slow down once we got used to it, but I secretly hoped I never got used to the way George Weasley made me feel.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13

I woke up the next morning and saw Penelope asleep in her cage. Mum must've let her in when she got up. There was an envelope sitting on my desk and I recognized George's messy scrawl on the front of it as I got closer.

 _Lydia,_

 _Since you braved my family, I suppose I can brave yours in return. Just send me a date and time, and I'll be happy to attend. I'll even wear a fancy sweater with a button down shirt underneath because I know you think I look fit when I do._

 _You were quite a hit with my family it seems, the kids can't stop asking about you. They're driving Fleur mad, I think Vic is quite a fan. Teddy just thinks you're pretty, and I can't say I disagree._

 _Okay, this is going to get embarrassing and no one wants that. I'll see you soon, beautiful. Just tell me when._

 _George_

"So, I hear you've got a boyfriend?" a voice said from the hallway, making me jump in surprise because I thought I was alone.

"Sammy!" I shouted, dropping the letter onto my bed and rushing over to hug my big brother tight. "I'm so happy to see you!"

He held me back just as tight and lifted me off the ground. "I'm happy to see you, too, 'dia."

"Are you the first one here?" I asked after he sat me back on my feet and we headed downstairs for breakfast.

"John's got class until five or so and Alex is on his way," he started.

"And I got here before Sam," Will finished from his spot on the counter with a cup of coffee in his hands. "It's good to see you, little sister, but I'm more interested in this boyfriend of yours mum told us about this morning."

I stopped on my way over to hug him and rolled my eyes instead. Then I gathered the stuff to make an omelet for each of us since mum was out getting groceries and dad was at work it was up to me to make breakfast. When all five of us were at home, food was gone within hours of her bringing it home. She complained about it with a smile on her face, I knew how much she loved having all of us under one roof again. It was like we reverted to be kids again, and it was no secret that she loved when we were all running through the house.

"His name is George, he's a wizard, and he's coming to dinner sometime this week," I told them, focusing on mixing the ingredients instead of their reaction. "I really care about him, please don't mess it up for me. Like, I've never felt this way about anyone before."

Neither of them spoke for a while, an unusual silence taking over the room. The only thing I heard was the sizzling of the pan and the ticking of the grandfather clock in the living room.

"Wow, guys, is me having a boyfriend so surprising that it renders you both speechless?" I asked, turning to face them with my hands on my hips in contempt. "I didn't know that was even possible."

They looked at each other and I realized that wasn't it at all. They didn't know how to ask me if things were okay, if _I_ was okay in general. My entire family wondered about me after the War, it's hard to understand the wounds of a War you weren't part of. The fact that it was a wizard war made it even harder to comprehend.

"He was in the War with me," I told them quietly, turning back around to flip the omelet. "He genuinely makes me so happy. I didn't know I could ever be this happy, especially not after everything."

I had slid the omelet onto a plate and poured the next one into the hot pan by the time Sam finally spoke. "That's so good. I want to meet him and make sure he's not a total prat. Even if he makes you happy, which I'm glad of."

"Yeah, I don't think we've ever met any of your boyfriends before," Will added. "I kind of thought you were into girls or something… not that there's anything wrong with that."

I just rolled my eyes, there was my big brother. "God, I missed you guys so much!"

* * *

"If you're not all out in the car in ten seconds, I swear we're not even celebrating Christmas. We'll all going to eat pizza in the kitchen on the 25th like it's a normal day," dad shouted from the bottom of the stairs. "You are all grown! I shouldn't have to rush you!"

"I'm in the kitchen getting coffee. Don't group me with the heathens," I shouted, making mum laugh from her spot across from me. "I swear, he just looks for something to be angry about."

Mum shrugged her shoulders and sipped on her own coffee. "It's how he shows affection. So, is George coming to dinner tomorrow night?"

It was Tuesday and mum thought it'd be best if we had at least a day to prepare dad for George's arrival. Even if he knew it was going to happen, he still needed to be in a good mindset to accept it. So today we were going to get our Christmas tree and decorating it. There was nothing quite like allowing him to pick the tree and get final say over where the bobbles went on it. He liked being in control.

I heard something akin to elephants storming across a hardwood floor and figured it was the boys coming downstairs. It didn't matter that Sam was thirty and Will was twenty-eight, we were all kids when it came to Christmas merriment and it increased tenfold whenever we were all together. We all loaded into mum's minivan and head to the Christmas tree farm we went to every year. It was a place where you cut your own down, also giving dad a chance to be manly. He also liked being masculine.

"So, Samuel, when are we going to meet a boyfriend of yours?" mum asked as dad drove. "I'd like to have grandchildren someday."

"I'm pretty sure Lydia and her boyfriend are more likely to do that than any of my future partners and I are," Sam replied, trying his best to not sound annoyed or sarcastic. "The last time I checked, men having babies together was still impossible."

"You can always adopt, stop being dramatic," mum sighed, realizing it was a pointless battle. "Any girls on the horizon for you, William? John?"

That was how the conversation continued until we got to the farm and out of the small space when Sam grabbed my arm and tersely whispered, "I swear to god, Shelly Duke is going to be the death of me. I don't want to get married right now and I certainly don't want children yet."

"Can you please not piss dad off today? I'm trying my best to butter him up so he'll be nice to George tomorrow night," I pleaded, clutching his arm. "That way I only have to worry about you lot."

"As long as he's good to you, he'll be fine with all of us," Will said, joining in on our conversation. "Also, letting dad pick the tree was a good idea. That man loves to be in control."

I winked at him and said, "That's what I'm banking on, big brother."

* * *

Dad picked the biggest tree on the entire farm that took him, Alex, and John to chop it down and pack it inside. Sam, Will, and I used the older advantage to get out of it. As soon as the tree was in place I did a charm to keep the needles from falling off or going brown, something my parents were grateful for but didn't admit it.

"I'm not even a wizard, but I bloody love magic," Will said, looking at the tree as it sparkled to signal the charm was in place.

"Stop talking and let's decorate this bitch," John said, coming into the room with a bunch of decorations in his arms.

"Johnathan! Language!" mum hissed, throwing a pillow at him and making him drop all the boxes. "Dammit!"

"Shelly! Language!" dad teased before he broke out into a broad grin. "I'm sure none of them broke."

We all laughed at dad and checked on the bobbles, seeing that he was right. Once everything was ready, we got into decorating mode. Dad, John, and Will were placing all the things on the tree while Sam, Alex, and I started hanging the tinsel on the rail of the staircase and mum hung her wreaths around the house.

"Oh my god, Lydia! Do you remember these?" dad asked, holding up a pair of glittery reindeer antlers.

"I do! They're from the one and only time 'dia was ever on stage!" John answered, making me throw a piece of frayed tinsel at him. "She got so nervous she chucked up her cookies all over the front row!"

"You're such an ass!" I shrieked, my face flushing in embarrassment at the memory. "I've always been shy! I can't help it."

I was nine years old and our town was putting on a Christmas play. I was casted as a reindeer who had a solo in one of the songs. I took one look at all the people watching me with their cameras and got so nervous I vomited all over the people sitting in the front row.

"I think it's only fitting you wear them now, to honor those who were in the splash zone," John continued, coming over and putting the antlers on my head. "Now, who's got a bet for how fast she blows chunks?"

"Put me down for ten minutes!" Alex shouted, coming into the room with his hands full of biscuits.

"You are terrible people, all of you," I huffed, but I'm sure my smile was obvious behind my eyes. "Now, I think John said it best, let's decorate this bitch."

"Lydia! Language!"

* * *

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	14. Chapter 14

**We have officially ran out of pre-written chapters for this story! From now on, I will have to write the chapters before I post them. I'm glad we reached this point, I couldn't have done it without you all.**

* * *

I woke up nervous Wednesday morning with dinner on my mind. My family had to adore George as much as I did, they were both too important to me to hate each other. To keep my nerves at bay, I helped mum cook and wrapped presents with dad for a couple hours to distract my mind from dinner.

"Seeing as Lydia is bringing her boyfriend to dinner, I figure I should tell you guys that my girlfriend wants to meet you," Alex said, running a hand over his hair before pulling his beanie back on. "She's really cool, way too cool for me, but I want you guys to meet her… I guess."

"Little brother, you've got a boyfriend?" I asked, nerves temporarily forgotten. "That's so great! I can't wait to meet her!"

"How'd you hype yourself up enough to meet George's family?" he asked, chewing his bottom lip as the others went back to doing their own thing. "Was it terrifying? Because she wants me to meet hers first."

"That's putting it lightly, bud. His family is also huge, even bigger than ours," I told him honestly. "I just really cared about him and knew how important his family was to him. That didn't make it any less nerve-wracking, it went fine though. If she's half as amazing as you say, her family must be pretty great, too."

That seemed to calm his frazzled nerves if only for the moment. I hugged him and felt him relax in my embrace as he laid his head on top of mine. A thing I forgot to mention about my family, they're all taller than me –quite a feat considering I'm 5'6. It was probably comical to see my brother who was five years younger than me basically tower over me.

"I'll run interference if things start getting bad tonight," he whispered during our hug. "Don't worry, I've got your back."

I headed back to the kitchen after we parted and loaded the dishwasher. Mum was busy slaving over dinner and dad was ignoring the entire situation by sitting in his chair in the living room. I guess things could be a lot worse.

About an hour before George was supposed to be here, I went upstairs to get ready. I curled my hair and did my makeup the muggle way to take up more time. The last thing I wanted was to be twiddling my thumbs for twenty minutes. That would not be good, free time gave me more than enough time to completely dissect what was about to happen and send myself into a fit.

"I'll get it!" Sam shouted and I knew that meant George was here.

I shoved my booties on my feet and ran down the stairs, my feet getting tangled up and throwing me forward on the very last one. Thankfully, Will grabbed my arm and righted me as Sam opened the door.

George was standing there with a bouquet of flowers and a nervous smile on his face. I pushed through my family and greeted him, taking the flowers so I could hug him. We'd only been apart for four days and I missed him like crazy.

"You look beautiful," he whispered, kissing my temple as we parted and he came into the house with us. Then he turned to address my family and he said, "Hi, I'm George."

"It's nice to see you again, George," mum said, stepping forward and hugging him. "Come in, come in!"

She led the way into the living room and George searched for my hand, lacing our fingers when he found it. The flowers had a charm on them to keep them fresh forever so I could put them wherever I wanted, but that wasn't my biggest concern at the moment. I wanted to protect him from my crazy family.

"I'm going to go finish dinner," mum said once we were all congregated in the living room. "Lydia, come with me, love. Let the boys bond."

I gave George's hand a reassuring squeeze before I followed her because I knew her invitation wasn't optional. Even if I wasn't, she was old-fashioned and wanted the men to bond without us there. I hated leaving him alone, but I trusted Alex to step in if things got too intense like he said he would this morning. I kissed George's cheek before winking and following my mum back into the kitchen.

"Your dad isn't going to do anything to hurt you, he just wants to make sure George is a good man. We thought we lost you, but then you started working at school and coming back slowly. Then you started seeing him and you're my little girl again," she explained as she sipped her wine. "I just don't want to see you fall into that depression again, poppet."

That was fair enough, I would probably feel the exact same way if I was in her position. I hugged her and whispered my thanks, then realized she was drinking alcohol. There was no delicate way to tell her we couldn't have that so I just jumped in.

"Mum, we can't have alcohol at dinner," I told her. "George is a recovering alcoholic. I don't think he'll mind it, but I don't want to overstep a boundary. Okay? I want him to feel comfortable and welcome."

She chugged the rest of her wine and put the bottle back in the fridge with a wink in my direction. Then she took the flowers and sat them next to the window over the sink, knowing at this point they were charmed to not wilt. I'm really glad she didn't ask about his stability or anything like that, but I'm sure it was because she realized we were both war survivors. Everyone handled pain differently.

The food got finished pretty soon after that and we set the table. Like he could see through the wall, Sam came in with the others trailing behind him. I met George's eyes and saw his nervousness evaporate. We sat down together with his hand resting on my knee and mine on top of it as mom explained what she'd made.

"It looks wonderful, Mrs. Duke," he smiled, his voice surprisingly steady despite the tension in his shoulders. "Thank you for the invitation."

"Of course," mum smiled, ladling carrots onto her plate. Then her smile turned teasing and she said, "Didn't I already ask you to call me Shelly?"

His cheeks flushed and he nodded, "I'm sorry, Shelly."

Things were a little stiff at first until everyone started telling George embarrassing stories about me. "You're telling me that she was even shyer before than she is now?"

"I remember when she, Sam, and Will were really little and we took them to see Santa," mum said, then saw the look of confusion on George's face so she explained, "Muggle children go and see a man dressed as Santa, sit on his lap for pictures, and tell him what they want for Christmas."

"Oh, I think I've seen that before in books," he replied, nodding in understanding.

"Well, Sam and Will did it just fine but not Lydia. She detested the idea of it and hung on to my skirt tails to avoid it," mum said, making me wince a little because I knew what was coming next. "I finally got her loose and sat her on his lap, only for her to turn around and be ill all over the poor man."

"What is it with you and getting sick, 'dia?" John asked, making me choke on my water. "Just curious."

"I had a very anxious stomach as a kid. I'm sorry," I finally replied, gathering my wits instead of remaining flustered. "Thankfully, I've gotten over that."

George squeezed my knee and I felt the tension in my shoulders almost immediately evaporate. He just had a calming effect on me and I was grateful for it in situations like this. Even if the stories were goofy, they were connecting my family with George and that was all that mattered.

* * *

I decided to spend the night with George seeing as the next day was Christmas Eve and it was going to be spent at home as well as the next day. My dad didn't seem very excited about the idea, but he never said anything about it. I'd already packed up my stuff before he got here because I'd planned on staying with him, so I sent George upstairs to get it so I could get a consensus about my family's opinions.

"So, out with it while we're alone," I said after I'd herded my entire family into the kitchen. "I want honesty. What do you think of George?"

"I think he's a cool dude," Sam said. "And he's cute, good on you, little sister."

"He's okay, for a bloke trying to date my sister anyway," John said, shrugging his shoulders.

That seemed to be all of my brothers' opinions of him, and it made a smile worm its way onto my lips. "Okay, dad, what do you think?"

He let out a breath and said, "He seems a bit stoic and I never would have seen you with someone like him. Your mother also said he has an alcohol problem, is that true?"

My eyes flashed over to mum instantly and saw her avoiding my gaze, a surefire sign she'd done what dad said. "No, he's been sober for two years. It's very unfair for you to judge him when you have no idea what he's been through, what either of us have been through."

"Lydia, I'm more concerned for you and your safety," my dad replied, ignoring everything I said. "I'm not trying to upset you, I just don't want you to get into a situation where you're in danger."

"I'm not in danger, dad. George would never hurt me," I replied with conviction. "We all deal with grief and sadness in different ways, but I am very proud of him for overcoming it. I wish you could see it that way. I know what it's like to be overwhelmed by so much that you don't know how to function and you just want it all to stop. Didn't you teach all of us to never, ever judge someone without knowing them first?"

My mum raised her eyebrows in surprise –I'd never been this vocal about anything in my entire life. I guess I was just very passionate about George and didn't want anyone to mark him out because of his trauma.

"I know you want the best for me and all that, I'm just disappointed by how you went about it," I sighed, turning on my heel and pushing out of the kitchen into the living room as George came loping down the stairs. "Hi, are you ready?"

He smiled and offered me his arm, making warmth fill me. I adored him so genuinely that it filled me from the tips of my toes to the top of my head. I buried myself in his embrace and wrapped my arms around his waist as he Apparated us out of my living room and into his flat.

"So, I'm all yours today," he grinned, looking down at me with happy eyes.

Instead of replying to him, I stood on my tiptoes so I could kiss him. Then I started walking us backward toward his bedroom. I wanted him and I wanted him right now, I just really hoped he wanted me back.

"Damn, 'puff, what's gotten into you?" he asked, pulling my dress off as he walked and tugging his sweater off next. "I love it, but I'm curious."

"I just want to be with you right now. Don't question when your girlfriend wants you," I replied, reaching behind me and unclasping my bra. "As long as you want it, too, let's do it."

"We'll talk about this sudden attraction after we have sex in multiple positions in multiple places 'round my flat," he replied, reaching down and picking me up so he could run the rest of the way to his room.

He'd just tossed me onto the bed, looking at me with adoration instead of lust and I realized I didn't actually want sex. I just wanted to feel the closeness that came with it, but being wrapped up in his arms sounded even better. I'm also pretty sure that was what he wanted, especially considering the way he kept looking at me.

"Okay, sudden change of plans because I want you to hold me," I admitted, biting my bottom lip coyly. "Then we can shag each other's brains out later. Deal?"

That made him laugh as he unbuttoned his shirt and took off his pants before getting into bed with me. "That sounds like the best idea you've had all day."

He pulled the duvet over us and I laid my head against his chest with the rest of my body pressed against him. He ran his fingers up and down my spine as I ran mine over his belly. Contentment filled my body until I remembered the argument I had with my dad earlier and I felt my mood immediately shift.

"What's wrong, baby? You got tense all of a sudden," he asked, tilting my head up so I had no choice but to look at him.

"It's nothing," I answered too quickly and saw him flash his eyes at me knowingly. "My entire family loves you, my dad is just a bit reluctant for me to be with someone who's been through the same war I went through."

"I thought I handled myself pretty well at dinner. What did I mess up?" he asked, trying to play nonchalant as he played with my hair but failing. "Or is it just your dad being overprotective and all that?"

I sighed and figured I should just be completely honest with him. "My mum was drinking wine and I asked her not to at dinner because I didn't want to make you uncomfortable. Before you say anything, I know you've been sober for two years and are strong, but I wanted today to be perfect. I never thought she'd tell my dad and he'd make a big deal out of it."

"Brilliant, your father thinks I'm a raging alcoholic. That's wonderful," he groaned, running a hand through his hair and sliding his other down to rest on my lower back. "I'm not upset with you, love. I know you did it to be kind, I just didn't want your family to know how damaged I am. No one wants their kid with someone like me."

I huffed and sat up, glaring down at him indignantly. "Stop that right now, I'm so proud of you for being sober. You worked through your 'damage' and came through on the other side. We all have issues, that doesn't mean you're a bad person."

He sighed and reached out for me, pulling me back to lay against his chest. We didn't talk again as he stroked his fingers up and down my back soothingly. I kissed below his collarbone and he practically hummed in contentment. Whatever inner strife he'd felt earlier was slowly melting away and making pride fill me up. I liked that I could also calm him down as much as he could calm me in stressful situations.

As we laid together, both awake but only our breath was the only sound in the room. I'd never been in love before, but this felt a whole lot like it. I wasn't sure enough to voice my feelings out loud. This warmth and safety I felt was the embodiment of love to me, but I was still afraid to tell him because it didn't seem like we'd been together long enough for something that intense to be said.

…right?

* * *

 **Truth bombs being dropped in the story!**


	15. Chapter 15

**We have reached the final chapter, folks. I hope you enjoy this final chapter and it brings everything together.**

* * *

The entirety of Christmas Eve all I could think about was my feelings for George. Was I in love with him? Was that even possible when we'd only been together a little over a month? The last thing I wanted was to sound like a lovesick school girl with her first crush. Only, this didn't feel like that to me, it felt very real.

"Hey, Sammy, can we talk?" I asked as he passed by my door.

He back up and entered the room, pushing my door closed behind him. "Sure, little sister, what's up?"

"It's a relationship question and I'm a bit reluctant to ask mum anything after the alcohol incident," I explained as he came over and sat on my bed with me.

"Lay it on me, 'dia," he said, reclining backward and getting comfortable for my dilemma.

"George and I have been together for a little over a month and I adore him," I started, trying to ease him into the problem. "We were laying in his bed last night and he was just playing with my hair and I realized that I'm pretty sure I'm in love with him or at least as close to love as I've ever been in my life."

"I don't understand the problem, you sound like you know what you want," he replied. "What's the problem?"

"Isn't it too soon for me to be in love with him? I don't want to rush into things and get hurt again, but at the same time I can't make myself go slow," I huffed in frustration. "Help me! How do I know if I'm in love?"

"Shit, little sister, that wasn't a bomb I was expecting this morning," Sam sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I think you know the answer, you're just too afraid of what everyone's going to say to admit it."

"You are the opposite of helpful!" I grunted, flopping backward in frustration.

"I've never been insightful, I don't know what it's shocking," he replied, coming up to lay beside me. "If you're worried about him not feeling the same, I can tell you that's bullshit. He's disgustingly in love with you, too."

So he saw it as much as my mom did, that was promising. "So you're saying I should just tell him how I feel because he feels the same way…"

"No, I'm saying you shouldn't worry about this right now because it's Christmas Eve. We're going to go downstairs and build a gingerbread house with our family because it makes mum happy," he replied, standing up and pulling me with him. "Come on, everything will work out like it's supposed to."

I grumbled under my breath good-naturedly and went downstairs with Sam's arm around my shoulders. Mum was sitting at the kitchen table with John and Alex sneaking bits of candy without her seeing. I figured dad and Will were outside hiding until mum shouted for them to come inside like always.

Things were still a bit rocky between mum, dad, and me and I didn't really know how to fix it. I wasn't sorry for the way I spoke to him yesterday, I meant everything I said. Even at age twenty-four, I'd never really done anything against their wishes. This was my first act of 'rebellion,' if you could even call it that.

"It's about time you two joined us!" mum exclaimed when she saw Sam and me walking into the kitchen. "Sam, go get your brother and your father from the garage."

He saluted her before heading out outside into the cold to get them. I sat beside John and ate a couple of the gumdrops without mum noticing. By the time everyone was together, mum actually realized a portion of the candy was gone and whirled to face the three of us.

"Will there ever be a year that the three of you don't eat all the candy before we even get the house itself out?" she sighed, but the grin on her face told us she wasn't really angry.

"We didn't eat anything!" John argued, but his tongue was blue so his lie fell apart easily. "Okay, maybe we ate a little…"

"And there are spice drops missing so I know Lydia had some too!" mum continued, making me chuckle and drop the three in my hand back into the container. "Let's make this house before everything is gone."

* * *

Gingerbread houses were so much harder than they should be. Icing was not good at keeping things together, even if it did look charming. In the end, I used magic to keep it together like I did most years and we decorated it with only a couple arguments.

"Would you look at that? It's put together and doesn't look like a mudslide slammed into it," John bragged, eating one of the leftover candy canes. "That's progress, my friends."

I rolled my eyes at his dramatics and pushed up from the table to wash my hands. I still had some last minute wrapping to do before tomorrow morning so I excused myself upstairs to finish them. I locked my door because I didn't trust my brothers not to barge in while I wrapped up their presents.

Unfortunately, being by myself gave me way too much time to think. I was in love with George, that was obvious and I was a couple steps away from accepting it at this point. This brought up a new problem, the possibility of him not being in love with me like I was with him. No matter how sure my family was he returned my feelings, it didn't stop the knot from forming in my belly.

I knew the only way to stop the feeling was to be honest with him, but that wouldn't be a possibility until at least Sunday after Christmas. I just needed to box this feeling away until I could deal with it. That wouldn't be too hard, I'd been blocking my emotions instead of dealing with them for years now. A couple more days wouldn't hurt.

* * *

Christmas morning was always over too quickly for all the preparation we put into it. I loved seeing the happiness on my family's face when they opened their gifts, especially Sam's when he opened the love potion I got him from George's shop.

I saw mum raise her eyebrows so I quickly explained, "You're always saying you want babies, that's the way to get Sam to fall in love with a woman and have them."

"Oh my god, you're a terrible person," Sam exclaimed, his cheeks turning pink at my insinuation. "I thought it was for me to get the man of my dreams to love me back."

"Love potions doesn't make real love, big brother. It just makes intense infatuation," I replied, flicking a ribbon at him and hitting John instead. "Don't actually make babies while under the potions' influence or you end up with Voldemorts who are unable to love –just a disclaimer."

"Jesus, like Sam needs anymore of a reason to never have kids!" Will exclaimed, looking up from the telescope I'd gotten him. "Let's focus on more important things like going outside and looking at the sky with this puppy!"

"It works better at night, doof," I replied. "Your eyes will melt out of you skull if you aim it the wrong way and magic can't fix that."

We were all teasing each other when I heard a tapping on the window. Penelope hooted from her place perched on the top of the tree. I got up to let Boom inside and saw that he had a parcel attached to his foot that looked kind of heavy.

I immediately started doting on the bird as Penelope came over to my shoulder to check on her friend. "Watch over him, baby, while I get him some water."

With the two of them sitting together on her perch in the living room with Sam rubbing his head, I disappeared into the kitchen. After I gave them water and some food, I sat on the couch to open the package.

It was from Molly Weasley according to the front and happiness filled me. She liked me enough to send me a Christmas present? I must have really made a splash with his family and that made me happy.

Inside the brown paper was a thick, cable knit shawl. It was the same shade of yellow as my favorite scarf and my name was sewn into the side of it. The shawl was handmade and the most amazing thing I have ever seen. It was more beautiful than anything I'd ever seen on a boutique shelf.

"What's that, love?" mum asked, squishing down between me and Alex. "Is that a scarf?"

"It's a shawl, but I think I can also wear it like an infinity scarf," I replied, handing it to her so she could see it closer. "George's mum made it for me, it even has my name stitched on the side."

It was done in very delicate, loopy cursive lettering that looked nearly impossible to hand stitch. She must make those sweaters every single year just like George said because it showed in her work. The shawl was also expertly made and my favorite color.

"Wow, she made this?" mum asked, handing it back with a look of awe on her face. "That's impressive. I hope he doesn't expect me to be able to do things like this because I can barely color in the lines."

"I didn't know she was going to make me anything, I don't have anything for her," I replied, looking at mum with big eyes. "What do I do?"

"You write her a thank you letter that is very heartfelt," mum told me, squeezing my hands. "She's a mother, I promise she's not going to expect anything back."

I knew she was right so I gathered my things and took them upstairs so I could get parchment to write on. Then I came back downstairs and sat at the kitchen table with Boom and Penelope cooing beside me as he picked at the leftovers from breakfast while Penelope tried to groom him. The two of them were so much like me and George it was funny sometimes.

 _Mrs. Weasley,_

 _Thank you so, so, so much for my shawl! It is so beautiful, I don't think I've ever seen anything that well-crafted in my entire life. I'm honored you decided to make something for me, it makes me feel like I'm welcome in your home all the time._

 _Gratefully,_

 _Lydia_

I finished my letter and stuck it to Boom's leg once he was content to fly back to the Burrow. I gave him one final biscuit and Penelope smoothed down the feathers on his face gently with a hoot. He hooted back and nipped at her beak before launching himself out the window and leaving Penelope on her roost where she immediately settled in for a nap.

That didn't sound like too bad of an idea actually.

* * *

I was currently sitting on George's kitchen counter as he cooked dinner for me. I'd made a kettle of hot chocolate from scratch and was currently sipping on a mug of it while I watched him. He was so sure of himself, it was very attractive to watch.

"You're very sexy when you're concentrating," I said, hopping off the counter.

I made my way over to him and wrapped my arms around his waist, sliding my hands under his jumper to rest on my bare stomach. He hummed in contentment and turned to face me, lifting me to rest on his hips as he moved to lean against the wall instead of the stove.

"You're very sexy whenever you're breathing," he replied, making me giggle and his cheeks dust red. "That didn't come out nearly as complimentary as I intended."

"I thought it was sweet," I promised, playing with the ends of his hair. "I think you're even sweeter."

He smirked and walked over to the counter I'd just abandoned, sitting me back on it with his body between my legs. I leaned forward and started kissing his neck, then I nibbled on his earlobe teasingly. Then I kissed his jaw and his temple before just nuzzling into his neck with my nose.

"What's got you so affectionate tonight?" he asked, laughter clear in his voice.

I took a breath and left my head leaning against his shoulder when I said, "I love you."

His hands didn't pause their rubbing against my lower back when he replied, "Oh, is that all? I love you, too."

I pushed back from him to flash a confused look. "What's that supposed to mean? I've been driving myself mad the last couple days with being in love with you because I thought it was too soon, and you just say it with so much certainty. It's like you're talking about the weather or the color of your walls."

He gave me a strange look and said, "I am certain that I'm in love with you, 'puff. I've known I was in love with you since you fought with your entire family about my sobriety. It is just as obvious to me as the weather or the color of my walls."

That made me laugh and lean my forehead against his chest. "I don't know what I'd do if you made something easy, Weasley."

His laugh echoed mine and he kissed the crown of my head. "It's just not my style, baby."

"Stop being a knob and check on your chicken," I told him, pulling back and picking up my cocoa.

He held up his hands in surrender and placed a final kiss on my forehead before heading over to the roast chicken. I watched his sure movements as I thought about what just happened. He loved me too and thought it was ridiculous I didn't realize it. Warmth filled my entire being at his certainty and realized I shared it.

"I'm also certain I love you," I said, sitting my empty mug in the sink and walking over to lean beside him. "I'm sorry if it seemed like I wasn't."

He turned off the stove and tossed his oven mitts onto the table so he could hold me with his hands. "You're always a couple steps behind me, love. I'm used to it by now."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for sticking with me until the end! It means the world!**


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